


Cringe

by he_niece_of_lucifer



Category: Megamind (2010)
Genre: Affection, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Banter, Blood and Violence, Broken Promises, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Crying, Developing Friendships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Major injuries, Minor Injuries, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Non-Consensual Kissing, Non-Consensual Touching, Relationship(s), Slow Romance, Tension, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2020-07-19 21:01:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19980448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/he_niece_of_lucifer/pseuds/he_niece_of_lucifer
Summary: In which Megamind gets hurt, and Roxanne takes care of him.





	1. Rage

It started out like a normal day.

Roxanne was used to Megamind kidnapping her on holidays, and Metro Man Day was no exception; in fact, he always seemed to be more eager, always excited to act out his carefully planned evil scheme and to test his newest contraption, which were more elaborate on Metro Man Day than any other.

He had stolen her away from her morning coffee, insisting there was no time to lose if his plan was to work.

Now she was tied to a chair in the center of the room- she suspected she was in the old observatory, due to the shape of the ceiling- surrounded by showy and yet effectively useless death traps, such as a flamethrower with flames that didn’t come close enough to be anything but pleasantly warm, and a whirring chainsaw that she noticed had no cutting chain.

Megamind appreciated the aesthetic necessity behind any elaborate evil plan, and she found herself impressed with the level of attention to detail he had.

“So... I’m in danger?” Roxanne asked. Megamind chuckled, but did not turn.

“Horrible danger, Miss Ritchi,” he said, flipping a few dials. She could hear the smile in his voice, as though he was pleased with himself.

“Should I be scared?” She asked, glancing down at the pit of crocodiles that were too far away to be able to jump and bite her.

“Terrified, I think!” Megamind glanced back at her and grinned a wicked grin before returning his attention to the task at hand. “As you can see by the array of deadly weapons I have before you, there is but a slim chance you will escape with your life!”

Roxanne sat quietly for a few long seconds, and could see the tension in Megamind’s shoulders; it was as though he wanted her to act like she was afraid, but also like he already knew she never would be.

Then, she smirked. She liked that he didn’t underestimate her intelligence so much as to expect fear from her this late in the game. They had known each other too long for her to fear his death traps that never even hurt her, or his brainbots with their razor-sharp metal teeth which only ever wanted head scratches.

She watched him for another moment.

“You could at least put a chain on it,” she said with a grin, raising an eyebrow at Megamind when he turned to face her.

He leaned back against the control panel, eyes gleaming like he knew something she didn’t.

“You can try to disturb my thought process with your comments, perhaps in an attempt to make me lose face, but I am entirely too excited about my evil plot to be bothered by you, Miss Ritchi!”

He paused, giggling at himself with unadulterated glee, before pulling a lever that caused a large computer monitor to light up, the low buzz of electricity filling the room with noise.

“I thought I’d provide you with a view,” Megamind said, “since you are going to die soon enough. You deserve a front-row seat to the prelude of the final battle!”

He turned a couple more dials, and the screen flickered, showing an image of Metro City, right in the heart of downtown, with a perfect view of the Metro Man Museum.

Since Roxanne had obviously not appeared to report the day’s big event, the KCMP news station had chosen a perky blond that looked like a real-life Barbie to take her place. Roxanne scowled, fists clenching behind her back.

She had suspected for a long time that the station was looking for younger, prettier reporters to replace some of the others, but the fact that this girl was the one they chose to fill in for her was enough to make her blood boil.

Megamind looked from her face to the screen, his smile suddenly looking more like a grimace.

“If it makes you feel better, Miss Ritchi,” Megamind started, sounding genuine. “You are objectively the best reporter that works at that station.”

Roxanne took note of how he worded that. Not ‘I think you’re a good reporter’, or ‘I think you’re the best person who works there,’ but ‘you objectively are best.’ It made her wonder why he’d said it like that. Did he think his opinion on the subject didn’t matter to her?

It didn’t matter, obviously, but the fact that he thought it didn’t-

And why would it matter? She shouldn’t care about his opinion on what she did, because on top of being a supervillain, he was a supervillain that kidnapped her on a constant basis.

It shouldn’t matter to her... so why did it?

“Thank you,” she said at last, unable to meet his intense gaze.

He didn’t respond to her, instead choosing to change the subject completely.

“Let’s get on with the excitement, shall we?” He said, turning with a flamboyant twirl of his cape; without a moment’s hesitation, he started his broadcast to the city.

“Ollo, Metrocity!” He stopped for a brief moment to listen to the screams of surprise and terror before continuing. “I hope you all have enjoyed the festivities up to this point, because I’m afraid things will not be continuing in such a pleasant fashion from here on out!”

Metro Man swooped up to face Megamind on the screen, golden microphone in hand. He was scowling, and Roxanne noticed the cold look in his eyes immediately; when he and Megamind acted out their roles as good and evil, there was always an undertone of playfulness in their expressions, in their voices.

They never hit hard enough to leave lasting damage, and if one of them called timeout, the other would conveniently announce the need for a sudden leave. But there was something... sinister, deep behind Metro Man’s eyes, somewhere in the black pinpoints of his pupils.

He looked absolutely engulfed with a white hot rage.

“Megamind,” Roxanne whispered, trying to keep her voice steady, “I’m not sure if this is-“

He ignored her, raising a hand and brushing off her worry. “Don’t worry, your boyfriend in tights will be here to save you soon enough. Isn’t that right, Metro Mahn? You would never keep Roxanne waiting, would you?”

Megamind flipped a switch, and Metro Man looked to the left, eyes settling directly on Roxanne’s.

“You won’t get away with this, Megamind,” Wayne snarled, the fingers of his free hand curling into a tight fist. “This is the last time you kidnap Roxanne, do you understand?”

“Maybe if you did a better job protecting the citizens, Miss Ritchi wouldn’t have to worry about me kidnapping her so often! It isn’t my fault I’m evil.” Megamind said this with a wicked smile, but there was an undertone in his voice that lit Metro Man’s expression on fire.

“I will find you, and when I do,” Metro Man said, squaring his shoulders and cracking his knuckles. “You will never forget the name of the man that pounded you into dust.”

Megamind hesitated at this. This level of threatening behavior was new to everyone watching. The citizens of Metro City were silent, watching in a frozen state of horror. They had never seen their hero act so much like a villain.

“Megamind, please listen to me-“ Roxanne pulled on her restraints, panic beginning to bubble behind her rib cage. “I don’t like this, it’s not-“

“I know what I’m doing, Miss Ritchi” Megamind looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Why are you so scared all of a sudden? Did the deathraps finally work?”

She pulled harder at the ropes around her wrists, and turned her attention to the monitor. Metro Man was looking around, as though searching for something far off in the distance.

It didn’t take her long to figure out what he was looking for.

“Roxanne, where are you?” He asked, his gaze burning into her.

She could tell him where they were, but his expression-

It was terrifying. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him, not with such an angry look on his face. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at his face. Megamind, somehow less threatening, attracted her gaze instead.

“I-“ her voice broke, and Megamind’s eyes widened at her. “I don’t know where we are.”

His surprise turned to confusion, but she looked away before he could question her. Both of them were aware that she knew where they were. She refused to say it.

“It’s alright, Roxie.” Metro Man took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and when he opened them again the glint of rage was muted from his gaze. “I’ll be there to save you soon.”

There was nothing she could say in response to that. Nothing would sum up the sinking feeling deep in her chest.

Megamind let out his best evil laugh, but his eyes flickered nervously over Metro Man’s face. “We’ll see about that, hero,” Megamind said, struggling to maintain his composure. He then shut off the broadcast, and turned to Roxanne; he looked irritated.

“I know you know where we are,” he said, taking a step towards her. Then another. His eyes were narrow, eyebrows furrowed as he focused in on her face. “Why did you lie to him? Don’t you want to be saved?”

“Let me out,” she said, fighting against her restraints. But she wasn’t angry; no, she wouldn’t be mad about something like this.

Roxanne was afraid. In fact, she was terrified.

Megamind searched her expression, those captivating green eyes holding her gaze hostage, refusing to let go. His irritation melted into concern.

“Roxanne,” he said carefully, leaning down so he was face to face with her. “Why are you so afraid?”

“Something isn’t right. The way he looked at you, Megamind-“ she cut herself off, taking a deep, shaky breath. Breathe, Roxanne. You need to breathe. She felt her eyes begin to burn, and prayed Megamind didn’t notice the tears begin to swell. “Please, let me go,” she choked.

Megamind noticed.

Something in his expression became panicked.

“Roxanne, I-“

There was an immense crash to the left of Roxanne; she cried out as a piece of the ceiling struck her in the side of the head, flinching away from the pain and squeezing her eyes shut.

From close beside her in the direction of the explosion, she heard Megamind grunt. She glanced at him, and was startled to find his face close to hers, his expression tight while he acted as a shield, his body hunched over hers as he protected her from any other debris.

“Are you okay?” He asked, and in that moment he looked almost as terrified as Roxanne felt.

Before she could respond, a booming voice called out.

“Megamind,” Metro Man said, standing tall and barrel-chested in a cloud of dust. “Back away from Roxanne.”

Megamind must have suddenly realized how close he was to her, because he shoved himself back, struggling to regain his composure as he scrambled away from her. His eyes were screaming an apology.

Roxanne, in a sudden panic, said, “Wayne, what are you doing?”

He glanced over at her, and suddenly he was engulfed in fury. Metro Man began walking towards Megamind, his feet booming against the floor; with one swift movement he grabbed Megamind by the collar and lifted him from the ground.

Roxanne watched in horrified silence as Wayne raised a clenched fist, and slammed it against Megamind’s face, sending him flying across the room.

He hit the wall with a sickening crunch, gasping as he sank to the floor in a crumpled pile.

“What did you do to her?” Wayne snarled, sounding more like a feral animal than a human being. “Why is she bleeding?!”

Megamind struggled to his feet, relying heavily on the wall to maintain his balance. “You...” he coughed, “you hurt her, not me.”

That seemed to be the last straw; with a guttural yell of pure, boiling wrath, Metro Man charged at Megamind. The latter ducked, running unsteadily in Roxanne’s direction. He held his watch to his lips, saying something that Roxanne couldn’t quite make out, before he tripped and landed flat on his face.

Okay, Roxanne thought to herself, this is where Metro Man handcuffs Megamind and they call it a day.

But Metro Man was following close behind the defeated supervillain, and it became clear to her that he was planning to kill.

“Wayne, stop it!” She screamed, unable to help it as hot tears escaped her eyes. “You’re taking it too far! _Stop_!”

He didn’t.

He instead raised a mighty fist, speckled black with Megamind’s blood, and slammed it down into the center of Megamind’s spine just as he tried to stand.

“Please,” she sobbed, yanking with all her strength against the ropes that bound her. “Please, stop it! What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

The door slammed open, and Minion rushed in, visibly panicked as he searched the room, his eyes soon landing on Megamind.

“Sir!” Minion cried, just as Wayne slammed down his gigantic fists again.

Megamind let out a pained cry, his ragged breath filling Roxanne’s chest with a sudden, dizzying wave of hysteria.

“Wayne, you son of a bitch! _Stop_!” Finally, he looked at her, shoulders heaving as he breathed heavily, his hair and eyes wild.

She felt something in her bonds give, and managed to rip herself free, ignoring the burst of pain as she rushed to Megamind’s side. She collapsed onto the cold, dented floor, and pulled him into her arms with quivering hands.

His eyes were closed, jaw slack, but Roxanne could see the shallow, unsteady heaving of his chest. Something inside her snapped.

Her vision tunneled on Wayne.

“You,” she choked, fighting back the swell of suffocating rage in her throat. “You took it too far, Wayne. _Too fucking far_!”

Wayne set his jaw, some of his anger seeming to settle into a cold shame. “Roxie, I was just-“

“Don’t you ‘Roxie’ me.” She glared up at him, fighting the quiver in her bottom lip. “He _never_ hurt you like this, not even when you deserved it. He’s never hurt _anyone_ like you have! And what did he do to _deserve it_?!”

“He’s a villain, Roxie. You’re not thinking rationally, just-“

“I’m not thinking rationally? _I’m_ not thinking rationally, Wayne?! You were going to _kill_ him!” She paused to take a shuddery breath, her eyes stinging. “Heroes don’t hurt people. Not like this.”

Something in Wayne’s expression morphed, creating an unreadable mask. As quickly as he had arrived, he was gone, vanished without a sound through the hole he’d created in the ceiling.


	2. Soft

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t really proof-read this, so I’m sorry for any mistakes. I hope you enjoy the second chapter of this story!

Roxanne stared up at the ceiling for a moment, her ears ringing, before she returned her attention to Megamind.

She let out a little sob of relief.

His eyes were open wide, staring at her like he had never seen her before, like she was a stranger to him, but it didn’t matter because he was awake. He was alive.

She heard Minion moving around somewhere to her left, but couldn’t bring herself to tear her gaze away from Megamind’s bruised face. He reached towards her with trembling fingers, but stopped a few inches short of her cheek.

“Why are you crying?” He asked, his voice shaking like he too was on the verge of tears. There were so many ways to respond to that question.

‘My chest feels like it’s going to implode on itself, and I was so scared when he hit you, and I feel the need to do something to convince myself that you really are alive and breathing, but I don’t know what to do and-‘

A sharp pain like lightning shot through Roxanne’s skull. She brought the hand that wasn’t holding Megamind to her forehead, and when she pulled it away, her fingers were red.

“Oh,” she whispered, eyes welling with fresh tears that clouded her vision.

“You’re hurt, why didn’t you-“ he cut himself off, staring at the ugly rope burn on her wrist. “Roxanne, did you actually pull your hands out of the restraints? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for you to get hurt, you’re never supposed to get hurt...”

Megamind’s words became too quiet and frantic for Roxanne to hear as he took her hand, brushing cool fingers over the injury.

It was nothing. She wished he would stop worrying over her, because she- as she looked over his body, at least two limbs looked as though they weren’t quite facing the right direction. Not to mention his spine, and the fact that he must have a concussion, and maybe there was internal bleeding, but-

But it wasn’t going to calm her down to think like that. She was fine, and he would be fine too.

“I’m so sorry,” Megamind whispered, pulling Roxanne from her thoughts. He clutched her hand to his chest, face contorted with anguish as he spoke. “I’ll never make you come here again, I promise. You won’t have to worry about him hurting you, and you won’t have to worry about me hurting you either, okay?”

She shook her head, and kept shaking it as she pulled her hand free from his. The look of hurt on his face could have killed her, but instead she tugged him closer, hugging him as tightly as she dared while avoiding jarring his injuries- so, not very tightly.

“I was so scared,” she said, burying her face in his shoulder. “You two have never fought like that, I thought-“ she let out a sound that was a mix between a whimper and a sob. “I thought he was gonna kill you, Megamind.”

Minion was shifting beside them, clearly wanting Roxanne to let go of Megamind already so someone could tend to his wounds, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“Please tell me you’re okay,” she whispered.

Megamind swallowed hard, and a moment later she felt a hand on her back. “I’m okay,” he said, running his fingers over her spine; his touch was so tender she almost started to cry again. “I’m okay. Everything is okay.”

It was then she managed to pry herself away and allow Minion to collect Megamind’s broken body in his arms, where the latter closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with those cold blue fingers.

Minion looked at her in a way that made her want to hide her face and curl up on the floor; not because he looked angry, but because he looked incredibly grateful, and she wasn’t sure if she could handle it.

“I’ll take you home in a few minutes,” Minion said with a heavy smile, beginning to turn away.

Her chest crackled with panic that felt like fireworks.

“No, please,” she said hurriedly, “let me stay. Please, I’m- I’m worried.”

To her surprise- and relief- he nodded.

“Follow me.”

She didn’t follow close behind; Minion was speaking to Megamind in a comforting tone, and the latter was responding with simple reassurances.

“We’ll get you fixed up, Sir, don’t worry about a thing.”

“Thank you, Minion.”

Apparently they weren’t in the observatory; the doorway Minion had come through led to a staircase, which opened up right in the heart of the lair. It was a little jarring, but really, she should have known that wasn’t the observatory. If she’d been looking harder, she would have noticed, but had been distracted with other, more important things.

As she fell farther behind, their conversation turned to unintelligible sounds that echoed throughout the dimly-lit lair. Surrounding her throughout the space were- well, she wasn’t quite sure what some of them were. They were clearly plans to defeat Metro Man that hadn’t yet come to fruition, but-

Was that a giant metal goat?

It had been a long day. She decided it wasn’t worth it to question anything too much.

Eventually the lair stopped looking like an evil villain’s workshop, and started looking more like an evil villain’s living space; Minion led Roxanne into a spacious, long room that was just as cold as the rest of the lair, but with enough ambient lighting to make it feel homey.

On the far right side was a kitchen with shiny black quartz countertops, which were cluttered with appliances that had obviously been tinkered with by Megamind. The fridge was black with silver spikes decoupaged to the top, and Roxanne had a feeling Megamind was responsible for that, too.

The living room was a step below the kitchen on the left side of the space, and consisted of a long leather couch shaped like a half-circle with a glass coffee table in front of it, and a television that was mounted to the wall.

It was a surprisingly nice living area.

Minion didn’t stop walking, though, so Roxanne followed him to a door on the end of the room nearest to the couch. He nudged it open with a careful foot, and turned back to Roxanne.

“The bathroom is to your left if you want to freshen up,” Minion said, “and I’ll have one of the brainbots grab some spare clothes for you. Yours are kind of...” He glanced down at her once-white outfit, now stained with dirt and blood. “Anyways, the towels are under the sink.”

With that Minion slipped into what she could only assume was Megamind’s bedroom, and Roxanne was left standing alone in the silent lair. She looked down at her hands, and stomach acid rose up into her throat upon realizing that they were covered in dark splatters of blood. Maybe she would take Minion up on that offer, after all. Her hands and clothes were stained in black patches.

The door on her left, as Minion had told her, did lead into a small bathroom. She contemplated showering, but thought better of it; this was already a vulnerable situation for her, and she just didn’t feel comfortable being so exposed. Now, where had Minion told her the towels were?

She found them under the sink in a cupboard, where they were supposed to be, and picked up a washcloth. It was a good thing they were black; she hadn’t been looking forward to staining a white towel with blood and makeup. And speaking of makeup…

A glance in the mirror confirmed her suspicion; dried mascara stains ran down her cheeks like claw marks, making her look just like the damsel in distress from a princess movie, which irritated her. She ran the corner of the towel under hot water for a few seconds before wiping at the stains, finding them much more stubborn than she’d hoped they would be; water only managed to lighten them. Scrubbing at them left her face tender and red, so she gave up, and moved on to the blood on her forehead.

It had originated from a shallow cut that started somewhere in the edge of her hairline, and ended a little ways past her left temple. The blood came away without effort, revealing how thin and minor the injury was. At least there was that.

She started on her wrists and hands. The bruises on her wrists had darkened to a shadowy purple, and the pain was only a mild throbbing now. It didn’t bother her, but the way Megamind had looked at her, like he blamed himself for her injuries, like he was willing to die to keep her from ever getting hurt again… it made her feel uneasy.

He was important, and she wanted him to care about himself like she knew he deserved to be cared about. The things he did when the people of Metro City couldn’t see him were not the actions of a villian. His words were too soft, his expressions too open and vulnerable. If there was one thing this nightmare had shown her, it was that Megamind was not evil.

Stubborn, yes. Elaborate? Of course. But evil? She just couldn’t view the man that had used his body as a shield to protect her as anything but good. It was still processing for her, the fact that he had done that to keep her safe. 

But it struck her as unsettling that she had done nothing to protect him in return.

Of course, she had been restrained, and even if she hadn’t been, Wayne was too strong for her to help in that regard. But even her words had been ineffective until it was too late; there must have been something she could have said, anything, to end the fighting before it started.

A knock to the door startled the washcloth out of her hands. She pulled the door open, expecting Minion, but it was just a brainbot. It was holding something in one long, spindly arm, and held it out to her.

Roxanne recognized the pattern; this was her shirt, and there were leggings with the same hole in the right knee as the ones she owned.

“Did you go all the way to my apartment to get these?” She asked, looking at the little robot. It chomped the air and made a happy ‘bowg’ noise, which she assumed was a yes.

She held out a hesitant hand. “Thank you,” she said, “that was really helpful.” At this point in her day, she couldn’t even remember if the brainbots liked to be pet, or if they understood complex human speech, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

The brainbot nudged against her fingers with its glass head, jittering with something Roxanne took for excitement and zoomed away, barking happily the entire way out of earshot.

That was… oddly cute. Were the brainbots supposed to be cute?

Roxanne changed into the outfit, and the way the fabric hugged her was comforting, like it might just keep her from falling apart.

She took a moment to acknowledge that thought, because it terrified her. Why did she feel like she was going to fall to pieces any second? And why was she so cold? The lair wasn’t that cold, was it?

Everything felt wrong, like she was witnessing a fire, but could do nothing to put it out. With some effort, she made her way out of the bathroom and over to the couch, where she sat in the corner on one end.

Her chest was collapsing.

What could she have done different? How could she have helped him? Why did she feel like she was about to shatter into a million tiny pieces?

She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. It was just too much. Everything was too much, and she was drowning, but the world was spinning and up was nowhere to be seen. Roxanne lowered her head, defeated.

All she could do was wait, so that was exactly what she did. She sat and tried to breathe and though she didn’t want to admit it, cried, until she was out of tears. Her sinuses hurt. It was so cold. She wanted to sleep.

Something soft touched her hand, and she flinched, looking up to see what it was.

“Bowg,” said the brainbot, the sound muffled through what appeared to be a blanket hanging from its mouth. Roxanne took the fabric in her hands, offering a shaky smile to the brainbot as it trembled with excitement.

“Thanks,” she murmured, draping the blanket over her folded legs. To her alarm, but perhaps not to her surprise, the fabric smelled vividly of Megamind. It was so much nicer than Wayne’s overpowering cologne; whatever Megamind used was more subtle, but still very much there. 

She brought one side to her face and took a deep breath, feeling ridiculous. It was weird and she knew it, but that didn’t mean she was going to stop. In an odd way, the blanket was comforting.

Cautiously, the brainbot drifted closer to Roxanne, and after several long seconds of what might have been uncertainty, settled itself on top of her lap. It purred with contentment when she ran her fingers over its glass dome.

“You’re a good bot, huh?”

“Bowg!”

It could have been twenty minutes, and it could have been two hours; she had lost track. The pain in her chest had subsided a little, replaced with a cold kind of numbness that spread like roots under her rib cage, making her feel empty. Maybe that wasn’t a bad thing, though.

It was better than panicking.

She did wonder, though, how Megamind was doing, and it made her worry. Was he okay? Was he in pain? God, she hoped he wasn’t in too much pain. The thought of him suffering nearly threw her into another fit of panic.

But she made herself breathe.

By the time she heard Megamind’s bedroom door open again, the brainbot was asleep, or at least the robot equivalent of sleep. It didn’t even move when Minion exited the bedroom, its eye shuttered like a camera lens.

Minion looked around the room, his eyes landing on Roxanne after a moment. She felt her heart trying to sneak into her throat. That expression was too empty for her to tell what he was thinking. Did something go wrong? Was Megamind…?

But to her relief… he smiled.

“He’ll be okay,” Minion said, “he’s just going to be in pain for a little while. He has two cracked ribs and a broken leg, but none of his organs were damaged. Well, not including the concussion.” He paused, crinkling up his face a little. “But he’s going to be fine.”

It was like a weight had been lifted off her, and then immediately replaced with an even heavier one. He was alive, and he was going to be fine, but he was in pain, and that wasn’t something Roxanne was okay with. She wanted to help, but didn’t know how.

“By the way,” Minion added, his cheeks darkening a little. “Sir wants to talk to you, if that’s okay.”

Megamind wanted to talk to her. A part of her knew he was going to want to talk to her about what happened, probably blame her for his injuries, but… she wasn’t about to deny his request. She needed to make sure he was okay.

“Yeah,” she said, swallowing hard. “that’s fine. I wanted to talk to him anyways.”

“Good, that’s good. Oh, uhm... Miss Ritchie… I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“When you… when you got upset earlier,” Minion said, his voice much softer and more guarded than before. “Was it really because you were worried about him? Because I don’t- I don’t want him to…” He trailed off, refusing to meet Roxanne’s eyes.

She felt a little pang in her heart. Was Megamind worried that she had been lying to him about… caring? Why would anyone do something like that?

“Of course I was worried,” she said, “I was terrified.”

Minion nodded, and it was hard to tell through the glass of his tank, but his eyes looked bright with sadness. She didn’t understand why, but she had a sinking feeling in her stomach about it.

As carefully as she could, she moved the blanket and sleeping brainbot to an open space on the couch, and stood. She felt vulnerable and cold without the blanket, but forced herself forward, taking small steps towards Megamind’s bedroom door.

She knocked.

A moment later, she heard his voice, quiet and weak, but there nonetheless.

“Come in.”


	3. Bad Dream

The first thing she noticed when she opened the door was how dark it was. There were no windows and any other source of light was turned off, meaning she could only see due to the light seeping through the doorway. Inside the room was a full mattress on a metal bed frame and a cluttered desk, but it was otherwise bare of furniture or decorations.

The second thing she noticed was the temperature.

“Why is it so cold in here?” She asked, taking a couple steps inside and closing the door behind herself.

“I’m sorry. I- I prefer it cold, but- I can have Minion adjust the thermostat, if you want.”

“No, it’s okay.” Roxanne reached out, groping for any object to help her find her way in the dark. A moment later, a lamp clicked on, revealing Megamind’s embarrassed face.

He was on his back on top of his bed, his head and one of his legs propped up by pillows. His calf and ankle were in one of those plastic splints with the velcro; his toes looked a little purple. His pajamas were covered in various hazard symbols, and Roxanne almost thought it was cute. Something about him seemed unbelievably fragile to her in that moment; perhaps it was his expression, a fragile mask of calm that looked far too breakable, or maybe it was his clothes, but either way, she was afraid she might accidentally shatter him.

“Sorry again,” he muttered, “I forgot you can’t see very well in the dark.”

“You can?”

“Kind of. But it’s just- the light just hurts right now.” He paused, but quickly added, “it doesn’t really matter either way, though! I can- I’ll leave it on, I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize so much,” Roxanne said, making her way to the bed and sitting down at the foot of it. “Turn the light off, please.”

After a moment’s hesitation, he did, dousing the room in total blackness once again. She could feel him shifting nervously on the mattress.

“Minion said you wanted to talk to me?” She asked, fiddling with the hem of her sweater.

“Yes,” he muttered, barely above a whisper. He sounded scared. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m- I’m really sorry, Roxanne. You got hurt because of me. I should never have allowed you to get pulled into a childish feud that has nothing to do with you. It’s unacceptable.”

“I don’t blame you, Megamind. Actually, I…” she crossed her arms over her chest, feeling silly all of a sudden. He didn’t blame her for what had happened, of course he didn’t; he blamed himself. “I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry too.”

He laughed, though it didn’t sound like it was out of humor. “Roxanne, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. You did nothing wrong.”

“I just feel like… I know it’s dumb, but I can’t stop feeling like I didn’t do enough to-“ it took her a moment to find the right words. “I don’t know. Like I didn’t do enough to keep you safe. To keep him from… going ballistic, like he did.”

There was a pause, and Roxanne was sure Megamind was upset with her. Maybe she hadn’t worded that correctly. Should she have said that differently?

“There was nothing else that could have been done, so please don’t worry.” He stopped to take a shuddery breath. “What you did for me today… I will never forget it. Thank you for-“ his voice broke, and so did Roxanne’s heart. “-for everything. Nobody’s ever done something like that for me before.”

“Megamind…” Roxanne didn’t know what to say to that. His tone, so overflowing with tenderness, hurt her deeply. She wanted to hug him, to hold him tightly and never let go, but she knew he wouldn’t appreciate that. Instead she reached out into the darkness, and found his knee; he twitched under the contact.

“What- what are you doing?” His voice quavered with fear, and Roxanne almost retracted her fingers.

“Earlier, you said you didn’t mean to pull me into your ‘childish feud’ with Wayne. It just made me wonder… how long have you known him for?”

Megamind was silent for a long time. When he finally responded, his voice was barely audible.

“We’ve known each-other our whole lives,” Megamind said, “ever since we were children. We went to sh- school, together.” The pain was tangible in his voice, and Roxanne could tell exactly what it meant. A fierce burst of rage exploded in her throat, and when it mixed with her curiosity, it only grew in potency.

“Has he done that to you before?”

“It was a long time ago, Roxanne. It doesn’t matter-“

“Tell me. Has he hurt you like that before?”

“I don’t blame him for it.”

“Megamind, what-“

“Please stop.” Megamind’s voice was quiet, yet Roxanne could hear the warning in his tone. “Please, I just can’t… I can’t talk about it right now. My childhood is not something I like to think about.”

Immediately, she felt bad for pushing him. It was in her nature to ask questions, but this wasn’t an interview; Megamind was in pain, and he didn’t need to be interrogated. He needed to be listened to and understood.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “you don’t have to tell me about it.”

“I will. You deserve to know the reason behind your injuries, just… not tonight.”

Her eyes had adjusted a little bit, allowing her to see a vague silhouette of Megamind’s body, and his eyes. They were wide, and looking directly at her face.

“Roxanne,” he said, “Why did you get so angry at Wayne? I thought by now, you must hate me, but you… stood up for me?”

“I’ve never hated you.”

“That doesn’t make sense, though. I kidnap you all the time. I’m constantly inconveniencing you, and making your life more difficult. That seems like enough to make you hate me.”

“Then you must not know me very well.” Roxanne leaned forward, eyebrows furrowed to match Megamind’s confused expression. “My life would be so… so empty, if I didn’t have you around. I’m glad you exist. I’ll never hate you, Megamind.”

Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say, either. She watched, frozen in unsure fear as his face tightened with sadness, his eyes brightening in the darkness with tears.

“Oh, please don’t cry,” she said quietly, her heart seizing a little as she scooted closer to him to place a hand on his shoulder. He refused to look at her, and seemed determined not to let the tears fall.

“You really should stop being so nice to me,” he said with a laugh, but it sounded so anguished. “That’s no way to treat a villain, Miss Ritchie”

She raised her hand to touch his face, wanting so badly to comfort him, and he-

He flinched.

That small, involuntary action, one that most people wouldn’t think twice about, said so much to Roxanne. She knew what it meant, that he flinched away from her touch. It made her wonder about his past. About the things people had probably done to him, simply for being different. When was the last time someone touched him gently, without the intent to hurt him?

She cupped his cheek with feather-light fingertips, noticing the way he leaned into it with a slight movement.

“How do you treat a villain, then?” His lips twitched at her question, drawing her attention to them. They were thin and a little chapped, and she felt the sudden temptation to run her thumb across them. When she finally tore her gaze away, looking at the rest of his face, she almost didn’t recognize his expression.

But she thought she saw it there, hiding behind his eyes like a shadow of desire that he was purposefully pushing back, pushing down, pushing away, battling two different sides of his mind as Roxanne watched with bated breath. His tongue darted out to damped his lips, and she allowed herself to stare, entranced with the shape of his mouth and the way it moved. Nothing had ever looked so desirable to her.

It was then, that Megamind lost to himself; she saw the exact moment that he gave up and leaned further into her touch, movements careful and shy. It was like he was inviting her to come closer, and it made her heart skip around behind her ribs. Roxanne leaned down slowly, eyes flickering between his eyes and his parted lips, waiting for him to push her back or turn his head. He didn’t.

Instead he turned his chin up, and she could feel his hot, rapid breath on her lips. Their lips were an inch apart, and she was panicking because she was about to kiss Megamind and-

The door opened, and the two separated immediately, flustered and red-faced and staring at the figure in the doorway.

“Bowg,” said Roxanne’s favorite brainbot, looking between her and Megamind as though confused. It was holding two black mugs in its claws. The lamp beside the bed clicked on again.

“Good girl,” Megamind said with a sigh, holding out his hands. His whole face was purple. “Bring those to daddy, will you?”

“It’s a girl?” Roxanne asked, accepting a mug from the brainbot.

“Yes. That’s Stella, one of my newer bots.”

“She’s a very good girl,” Roxanne said, brushing her fingertips over Stella’s glass dome. She made a whirring sound and closed her big eye. Megamind watched her every movement carefully, as though he was surprised. Maybe even a little impressed.

Stella allowed Roxanne to pet her for a few more seconds before turning and scurrying out of the room, closing the door behind herself.

“She normally bites,” Megamind said, his eyebrows raised as he took a sip from his cup. He made a scrunched face. “This isn’t mine.”

“What do you mean?” Roxanne put her cup to her lips and tasted it. She almost spit it back out. “Oh my god, that’s disgusting.” It was like drinking liquid sugar.

Megamind looked hurt. “That’s… how I usually drink my tea. Yours certainly isn’t any better; it almost tastes sour because it’s so bitter!” She handed his drink to him with an indignant sound, and took the other cup.

“Yeah, well, yours is way too sweet. How do you not have diabetes?”

“I don’t think I’m capable of getting diabetes, Roxanne.”

“Obviously not.” They shared a quiet laugh, but it didn’t take long for the conversation to fall into an awkward silence. She took a drink, avoiding his gaze as she did.

What was she supposed to do? Apologize? Try again? It had been a heat-of-the-moment sort of thing, and now that the moment was over, she didn’t think she’d have the confidence to give it another shot. Maybe Megamind didn’t want her to. Maybe he hadn’t wanted her to in the first place.

He was looking at her funny, and she could see that somewhere behind his eyes there was a battle raging, like he wanted to say two different things, but couldn’t say both, for… whatever reason. Finally, he seemed to decide on one option, and opened his mouth to speak, though he didn’t look very sure about it.

“I’m sorry,” Megamind started quietly, “I don’t know what I was thinking. I could never- well, you could never- let’s just pretend that never happened. Please.”

He didn’t want to kiss her. That was what that meant, right? Of course he didn’t, they were hardly even friends. What had she been thinking?

“You’re right,” she said, staring down into her mug and fighting the urge to cry. Not right now, not in front of him. “Don’t be sorry.”

But god, she wanted it so bad.

“Okay,” he said, sounding like the exact opposite of okay. She didn’t push him any further, though; she was done talking about it.

It didn’t make sense. Why did this bother her so much? Was kissing Megamind really that big of a deal to her? A little voice inside her said ‘yes’, and that just made her even more upset. Because she had so many confusing feelings towards him, and she had no idea how he felt, because how could she know? She couldn’t just ask, not after being rejected like that.

It wasn’t her place to push these feelings on him, especially when she knew he didn’t feel the same way. And the fact that her brain automatically called it feelings, like she was in love or something-

Oh.

Oh, no.

“Do you want Minion to take you home?” Megamind asked, seeming reluctant to look at her face.

That should have been an easy question to answer, and the answer should have been yes. But she was tired, and a part of her feared the thoughts being alone could bring. She didn’t want to be alone. So the answer wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t yes. Of course it wasn’t.

“Can I stay here?” Roxanne asked, clutching her mug in her shaking hands; she hoped Megamind didn’t see that.

But he was too observant. He always noticed her tells, and it aggravated her and impressed her at the same time. His eyes glanced over her hands, and then her face; she could see the defeat in his eyes.

“Yes,” he said, sounding as tired as she felt. One of his hands drifted up to rub at his forehead. “Of course you can stay here.”

“For… how long?”

“However long you want. You’re always welcome here, Roxanne.”

Forever, she thought, I don’t ever want to leave, but of course she didn’t say that. She doubted that’s what Megamind meant by however long she wanted. “Can I stay overnight? I don’t want to go home.”

Megamind’s expression looked tight with pain, and for a brief moment she wondered if it was due to his injuries or his emotions. “You can stay,” he murmured, holding his cup close to his face. Maybe it was in her head, a product of wishful thinking, but she thought she heard him say ‘forever’.

A glance at the small clock resting on the nightstand told her how distracted she’d been; it was already six in the afternoon. How had that even happened?

Megamind followed her gaze, and watched his eyebrows shoot up. Apparently he hadn’t noticed either.

“Are you hungry?” He asked, returning his attention to Roxanne’s face.

“No,” she said, a little surprised with herself. It had been a long day, and under normal circumstances she would be starving, but her stomach was restless with nerves and eating probably wouldn’t make that better. “Are you?”

“No.” Megamind studied her for a moment longer, searching her expression for something. “Are you tired?”

“A little.”

“Oh, well, if you’re staying here, you can have my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch or something.” He looked away, his cheeks flushed purple.

“No way,” Roxanne said, beginning to stand. “You’re recovering from at least three different injuries; if you sleep on a couch, they’re going to hurt so much worse. I’ll do it instead.” She set her mug on the nightstand, and he did the same with his, expression indignant.

“Absolutely not. You’re my guest, and as such, you will be sleeping on a bed. That’s that.”

It was to the point where she should probably have given up and insisted she go home to save him the trouble, but she couldn’t do it. Maybe it was because she wanted to make sure he was alright, or maybe it was because she didn’t want to be alone; more likely, it was both, but she refused to admit either.

“I’m fine, Megamind.” Roxanne took a few reluctant steps towards the door, and did her best to offer a reassuring smile. “Get some sleep, okay?”

“Wait, Roxanne-“

“Yeah? Do you need anything?”

Megamind looked as though he desperately wanted to say something, but after a moment shook his head.

“No,” he said, offering her a smile; it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Never mind. I’ll have one of the brainbots bring you a pillow.”

She hesitated for a brief moment, searching his face for a sign that he was being honest, that he actually didn’t have anything to say; she didn’t find one. But she didn’t push him to tell her the truth.

“Okay,” she said, returning the smile as she backed towards the door. “Let me know if you need anything, alright?”

“I will.” His expression said ‘I definitely won’t’. She hated that he was willing to suffer in order to avoid inconveniencing her. “Sleep well, Roxanne. And… thank you again, for being so kind to me.”

She opened the door, but hesitated to look back at Megamind; his eyes were set on her, wide and uncertain and waiting, waiting for the response that she hadn’t come up with yet.

So she just smiled. “Goodnight, Megamind.”

It was hard for her to continue looking at his face, at his heartbreakingly soft expression, so she turned away just as he whispered, “goodnight, sweet dreams.” The door clicked shut behind her.

All of the emotions she’d been fighting to keep out of her expression cascaded over her like a wave all at once, crushing her down as she struggled to stand.

In love. What an amazing, horrible thing to be. Roxanne didn’t remember the last time she had fallen in love. High school? College? It had been years ago, and she had forgotten just how much it hurt, but how she was feeling... it had been a long time coming. Even she knew that.

How could she not fall for that devious smile? That kind heart? Those honest expressions that she could read like he was an open book, only because he allowed her to? He trusted her, and she didn’t know what to do with a thing of such high value.

God, she was so tired, in so many ways. Maybe she really should try to sleep it off.

Minion was sitting on the couch, absently flipping through channels on the TV; when he noticed her, he grinned and patted an open spot beside him. Roxanne couldn’t say no to that face. She walked over to sit by Minion, and found that her blanket was still on the sofa where she’d left it, which cheered her up a little. After pulling both legs up to tuck underneath her, she draped the blanket over her lap. When she closed her eyes, it was almost as if Megamind was right next to her, healthy and relaxed and smiling. God, how she wished it was real.

Right now she wanted someone to hold her and tell her everything would be okay. She wanted someone to wrap their arms around her and protect her from her heart, because it really was plotting to kill her. Most of all, she wanted that someone to be Megamind.

“Are you okay, Miss Ritchi?” Minion asked, and it was only then that she realized she was crying. Silent tears ran down her cheeks, leaving hot trails in their wake. Irritated, she wiped them away with her fingers, but replaced themselves not even a second later.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, “it’s just been a really long day.” Her voice broke on the last word, and her hand flew up to her mouth to block any more sounds. She hated feeling weak. This wasn’t how she usually was.

“I know.” Minion placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, turning his attention fully to Roxanne. “Sir and I are both… really grateful for you being here today. You saved his life, Miss Ritchi, and I don’t know how I can make it up to you.”

“Oh no, Minion, please don’t worry about it. He didn’t deserve… anything that happened to him this afternoon. I’m just really glad he’s going to be okay.”

Minion smiled a toothy smile at her, eyes bright behind the glass of his tank. His hand fell away from her shoulder, making it feel lighter. He seemed pleased by her response. But a moment later, his expression darkened.

“Do you think you could… talk to Metro Man?” Minion asked hesitantly. “He seemed really off, and… well, I think it would be best if we prevent this from happening again.” He paused, eyes drifting to Megamind’s bedroom door. “Please. I don’t know what I would do without him.”

Talk to Wayne? That was the last thing Roxanne wanted to be doing, but she really, really couldn’t say no to that face, especially not about something like this. And besides, she wanted to know why Wayne had acted the way he did as well. He was normally so charismatic and bubbly, all talk and no action, as he and Megamind both were; so what had changed? She had to know.

“Yeah,” she murmured, “Of course I’ll talk to him.”

“Thank you.”

Roxanne turned her attention to the TV. Currently playing was the news, and on the screen there was an image of Metro Man from earlier in the day; the image had captured a moment of severe rage in his expression, and two people onscreen were discussing it.

“It’s gotta be hard, fighting a supervillain as often as Metro Man does,” said one of the reporters, “you know, it must get frustrating. Cut the guy some slack, am I right?”

“Perhaps,” said the other, “he’s just a little worn out. But one can’t help being worried about our city’s defender, after the way he acted today.”

Roxanne followed their conversation for a while, all the while wondering how their opinions might change if they were given the whole story. At some point she leaned against Minion’s metal-plated shoulder, too tired to sit upwards. The weariness and stress kept pulling at her eyelids until she inevitably fell into a restless sleep.

_Everything felt wrong. Her hands were black and shiny and dripping, creating pools of inky fluid around her ankles, and the levels continued to rise, engulfing her calves, her hips, her shoulders, and eventually her head, thrusting her into blackness, and seeping into her skin._

_She tried to keep her eyes and mouth shut, to avoid breathing it in, but she grew desperate for air, her body screaming for oxygen, and had no choice as her lungs sucked in, eyes flying open._

_She wasn’t drowning anymore, but rather was tied to a chair in a cold, silent, dark room. There was nothing to see, but she could hear. Whimpers of pain surrounded her, quiet and echoing in the vast space, but she couldn’t place their location. Frantic, she searched the room, but before she could find the source of the noise it stopped altogether._

_The sheer emptiness was unnerving._

_The bonds holding her down vanished, as did the chair and the floor; she fell, though she didn’t know for how long, through empty space, until she landed on her feet in yet another dark room. But this one was different, one small point of light, and she followed it._

_There, on the floor. What was it? She broke into a run upon the realization that she recognized the slight figure. God no, it couldn’t be real, it just couldn’t be-_

_She came to a halt in front of the unmoving mass of black leather and blue flesh. Fear crept up into her throat as she looked, really looked at the sight before her. He was almost unrecognizable with all the bruises and cuts and bashed-in parts, but it was undeniably-_

_Megamind._

Roxanne woke up in a cold sweat, her heart pounding inside her chest like fists on a drum. Her lungs felt like they were collapsing. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her panic and forget the nightmare that was already fading around the edges. Megamind is fine, she told herself, there is no need to panic.

It did nothing to comfort her.

Minion was gone, and someone had placed a pillow underneath her head during the night, which she assumed was his doing; she appreciated that. It was dark and quiet in the lair, and it only added to her uneasiness. She had never been in the lair this late before. What time was it?

Her cellphone was in her purse, and she wasn’t entirely sure where that was, so she had no way of checking the time. It had to be late, though, if nobody was up making noise. There were no windows to verify that, either. It didn’t matter; her heart still hadn’t stopped racing.

There was no way she would be able to sleep now. She was going to have to check on him, wasn’t she?

With a grunt, she sat up, and pushed the blanket to the side. It felt like she hadn’t slept at all.

Once in front of Megamind’s door, she hesitated, her fingers hovering an inch away from its surface. It was sort of creepy to check up on him like this, but she just… couldn’t bring herself to sleep.

She tapped the door with a half-closed fist, and was surprised when she got a response.

“I’m fine, Minion,” said Megamind, his voice rough.

“Actually… it’s Roxanne.” She paused, her hand resting on the doorknob. “I just wanted to check on you.”

“Oh.” He sounded surprised. “Uh, come in.”

The door opened with a creak, and she peeked inside. Megamind turned the lamp on, illuminating his bedroom; Roxanne felt better as soon as her eyes landed on his face. But she noticed it when he cringed away from the sudden light, like it hurt, and it worried her.

“Are you okay?” She asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind herself.

“Yes, of course.” He waved a hand dismissively. “Just a headache.”

There were dark bags under his eyes, and when Roxanne looked at the clock she was alarmed to see that it was nearly midnight.

“Well, maybe if you actually slept, you would feel better.” Roxanne raised an eyebrow at him, and his face broke into a crooked grin.

“Now where’s the fun in that?”

Roxanne rolled her eyes, trying hard not to smile, but failing. “You’re crazy.”

“I’m not crazy,” he said, eyes twinkling with humor despite the exhaustion in his face.

“That’s exactly what a crazy person would say!” When he laughed out loud, it made Roxanne’s heart skip a beat; it was rough and visibly painful for him, but she really wished she could make him laugh more. Maybe not now, though. Roxanne smiled at him, her eyebrows furrowing upwards a little. “Do you want a painkiller?”

“Would you please grab me one? The bottle is on my desk.” As he had said, there was a small orange bottle of pills sitting on the surface; Roxanne opened the bottle and shook one out into the palm of her hand.

“Why do you have so many?” She asked, making her way over to Megamind; he held out a hand to her, and she placed the pill on it.

“I have a tendency to get injured a lot. But that’s my fault, isn’t it?” He popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed it. “It’s worth the thrill, I assure you.”

“Are you trying to convince me to become a villain?”

“Perhaps,” Megamind said, beaming at Roxanne in a way that made her heart melt. “I’ve been looking for another partner in crime.”

“It would take a lot to persuade me.”

“What is it you want?” Megamind gestured to the empty side of his bed for her to sit, and she obliged. His grin was absolutely sinister, and Roxanne loved it. “Money? Recognition?”

“I don’t know… there are so many things I could put to use.” She paused for a moment, pretending to think about it. “You know, I’m expensive to win over. It might be easier if we switched places.”

“Switched… places?”

“Yeah, like if I was convincing you to be a hero.” She chuckled a little. “Just think about it; you could finally rule the city like you wanted.”

Megamind wasn’t really smiling anymore, though. He looked a little startled and a little sad, and Roxanne was afraid she’d said something wrong, but she took a moment to reflect on what she’d said.

And then, it hit her.

“Megamind,” she said, “do you… not want to be the bad guy anymore?” He met her gaze, lips turned up in a forced smile.

“It doesn’t matter,” he assured her, but his expression said otherwise.

“Yes it does… how you feel matters.”

“That’s a nice thought, but no, it doesn’t.”

“You…” Roxanne placed a careful hand on his shoulder; she hoped it was comforting. “You have a choice. If you don’t want to be the bad guy, then you shouldn’t have to.”

“I really don’t have a choice.”

“Everyone does.”

“You don’t understand, Roxanne.” Megamind looked up at her, eyes tinged red around the corners in a way that made his vibrant green irises even brighter. “I never had that choice; Metro Man and I were placed in these roles from early childhood. The only difference is, he accepted it much faster. I never wanted to be… anything I am today.”

She felt the urge to ask more questions, to more deeply understand the situation at hand. It was in her nature to be curious, and she felt like the information being held from her was crucial to the situation at hand. But she chided herself; now is not the time, she thought, you need to be a good friend right now. Questions could come later.

“You really don’t give yourself enough credit,” she murmured, holding Megamind’s gaze firmly with hers. “You didn’t want to grow up to be kind? Selfless? Brave? Because you are all of those things and more, okay? You’re not as bad as you think you are. What you did for me today proved that.”

“I’m never that nice to people,” Megamind said, expression hardening. “I am who I am, and there’s nothing that can change that.”

“Everyone is capable of changing their own lives,” she said, “and I don’t think it’s fair to give up before you even try. Please, if you want things to change, you have to at least do that.”

He didn’t respond to that line of conversation, favoring silence; Roxanne knew that defense mechanism well, but it would do no good to push him further. She let it go, for the time being, and broke the contact between her hand and his shoulder.

He changed the subject.

“I’m sorry,” Megamind said, meeting her gaze reluctantly. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You don’t have to be sorry.”

Another silence. Roxanne watched his face, searching it for something, but was unsure what she was actually looking for.

“Why did you come to check up on me?” He asked, voice distant. “Have you been meaning to talk to me about earlier?”

Earlier... did he mean the incident between the two of them, when-?

No, no he couldn’t. Roxanne refused to get her hopes up. _If he asks you to forget about something,_ she thought to herself, _then you need to forget about it, even if you really don’t want to_. Maybe he was talking about before that, when she had asked about his history with Wayne. That would make more sense.

“You asked me not to push you on the school thing, so I won’t. Don’t worry about that.” After hearing that, he came back to earth a little.

“Right, uh…” he cleared his throat. “That. I’m not worried.”

“Good, I’m glad you’re not.” There was a brief pause.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Megamind said quietly, fiddling with the edge of his pajama shirt.

“Right. Sorry…” Roxanne looked down at her hands, which were folded in her lap. “I just- I had a nightmare, and got nervous. It’s stupid.”

“That isn’t stupid,” he said, his tone so gentle it hurt her, deep inside her chest. “What was it about?”

“Just… something I’ve always been scared of. I’m fine now, though.”

“I see... well, I’ll make sure you’re safe,” Megamind said, offering her a half-smile. “You don’t need to be afraid of… whatever it is you dreamed about. Nothing can hurt you, so long as I exist; that’s the one thing I’m good for.”

“Don’t even start with me. You’re good for lots of things.”

“Like what?”

“Well, you play a lot of roles in life. You’re like family to Minion, and you keep Wayne entertained… and you’re my friend. You’re good at all of those things.”

Megamind’s face flushed at that. He tried to say something, but couldn’t seem to find the right words, only managing to open and then close his mouth a couple of times. Roxanne couldn’t help laughing when his eyebrows raised, and then furrowed down again.

“You consider me to be your friend?” He finally said, his tone choked.

“Yeah,” Roxanne said through a smile. “Of course I do.”

He shook his head, a dazed smile creeping onto his lips. “What a fascinating creature you are, Roxanne. Befriending a supervillain! Who else but you would do that on purpose?” He let out a sharp laugh, and then a quieter grunt of pain, hand flying up to clutch at his ribs.

“You really should sleep,” Roxanne said, “I’m sure you’ll feel better after you do. Please?” He must have heard the affection that leaked into her tone; she watched as his expression softened, one of his hands subconsciously clutching at his chest. A part of her was irritated with herself. The other part was thrilled.

“Yes,” he said, “yes, if that’s- what you think I should do.”

“Thank you.” Roxanne began to stand, but hesitated. She sat back down and looked back at Megamind, who was watching her, confusion clouding his expression. She told herself not to ask, but she wanted to so bad, so- “Can I maybe… sleep in here? In case you need anything, or in case I-“ she cut herself off, shaking her head and standing fully, walking towards the door. _Shouldn’t have asked, god how stupid-_ “Sorry, never mind. Goodnight, Megamind, I didn’t mean to-“

“Roxanne.” His voice froze her in her tracks. “It’s okay. You can sleep in here if you want.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about writing the next chapter from Megamind’s POV. Anyone interested? Please feel free to let me know in the comments :)


	4. Gentle Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listened to Not In That Way by Sam Smith a lot while writing this chapter. I really hope you enjoy it :)

Megamind was not used to such a gentle kind of silence. It was a kind of quiet that wasn’t really quiet, the kind filled with soft breathing and the rustling of blankets, the kind that felt domestic in a bittersweet sort of way. The thought of it before now had always seemed like a hopelessly romantic thing to imagine, but Roxanne really was in his bed, making herself comfortable in the spot next to him, where he had so often imagined her laying. Roxanne, in his bed; the thought of it made him dizzy. 

She was on her side, facing him. There was something captivating about the softness in her expression, a softness that he had never witnessed in her face before; she looked so fragile, as though at any moment she might burst into tears. It was a jarring change from her usual mix of playful humor and burning curiosity, seeming much too open to really be her.

The wall behind Roxanne’s eyes that Megamind had grown used to wasn’t there anymore.

“Thank you,” she whispered, half-lidded eyes grazing over his face. “For letting me stay.” His heart did a little flip in his chest.

“Of course.” He had to resist the urge to smile; she acted as though her staying was some great inconvenience to him, when in reality, he couldn’t be happier. It was something he’d dreamed of, under the assumption that it would always just be a dream.

With a little sigh, she pressed the side of her face into the pillow and closed her eyes.

“Goodnight,” she murmured, “sweet dreams.”

It took him a moment to be able to respond; he feared his voice would break if he wasn’t careful. Nobody had ever been this close to him, this relaxed with him, and it was stirring up emotions that he wished he could suffocate. He was a villain, for crying out loud! And he was pretty sure that meant he wasn’t supposed to get choked up when someone said goodnight to him.

“Sleep well, Roxanne. Goodnight.” With that, he reached over and turned the lamp off for her.

He didn’t sleep. This was a new kind of pain, the throbbing behind his ribs and his skull akin to nothing he had ever experienced before; it was a dull, aching feeling, with the occasional spike of tenderness if he moved just wrong. But he had been in pain before, and he healed quickly; that wasn’t the part that kept him from resting.

Rather, it was the vague shape of Roxanne, moving with slow, heavy breathing, that kept him awake.

He had already decided a long time ago that he would never tell her about this immense affection, favoring a path that allowed him to keep her close without forcing these unwelcome feelings upon her. But it had been hard to resist spilling out his heart to her throughout most of the day. Most of the pain, he was used to, but Roxanne had shown him a new kind, a sweeter type of heartache that he had never felt before.

Thinking back, it really was an overwhelming feeling.

The memory wasn’t an unfamiliar one; Wayne picking him up by his collar to punch him into oblivion almost felt familiar, like a greeting from an old friend- which, he supposed it sort of was. It had happened enough times throughout their adolescence for the feeling to be burned into Megamind’s nerves, something that his body would remember even if his mind tried to forget. Perhaps it wasn’t pleasant, but it was constant, and he had grown complacent in their routine. Blood and pain were things he expected, which he relied on and accepted in order to maintain his façade, but one thing that had jarred his soul in place behind his chest was-

“Heroes don’t hurt people. Not like this.”

There was just something about it. The sound of her voice, filled to the brim with terror and rage and yet flat with a deadly calm, as she tried to douse the flames of Metro Man’s rage… and the fact that she put herself in danger in an attempt to protect Megamind shook him to his core, leaving him dizzy and unsure long after the fact. She had cared enough to get angry, to get upset, for his sake, and he wasn’t sure if he could handle that.

Roxanne cared enough about him to cry for him.

Megamind had never seen Roxanne cry before. It was something he never wanted to see again. He couldn’t handle seeing someone he loved so much cry like that.

‘No,’ he scolded himself, his heart twisting at those words. ‘Not someone you love. You are not allowed to love Roxanne Ritchi.’

But earlier, he almost wondered if she had felt it too, when she was so close that he could feel the heat radiate from her, when her lips had been so close to touching his; if he had leaned forward just a little bit more-

Megamind knew better. After all, he was the one that had instigated the contact without asking, and he knew she was in a fragile headspace. He knew nobody could ever care for him as anything more than a friend, and yet he had almost let himself believe that perhaps, Roxanne was crazy enough and incredible enough to be the exception.

But, he knew better. She had been eager to dismiss the moment of weakness as nothing more than a reaction to stress and sadness, and so he let it slip away, dismissing his feelings as a whole because that wasn’t what Roxanne wanted.

It was more important to exist in the present. He needed to appreciate fate’s beautiful mistake, that which had allowed him to share a night so close to her, to bask in the warmth of her existence. The space between them didn’t matter. If it meant he got to wake up next to her, he would be okay.

That was the last thought to cross his mind before he was unable to stay awake any longer, falling into a deep and dreamless sleep, a pained little smile still playing at the corners of his lips.

It seemed like no time at all had passed by the time he opened his eyes again, as though he had blinked, but hours had passed; it was nearly eight in the morning, according to his clock.

It was way too warm. There was a weight on Megamind’s right shoulder, which nearly sent him into a fit of panic before he remembered the previous day’s events. Right, he didn’t sleep alone last night. Of course, then, that weight across his body had to be-

Roxanne?

He glanced down, and sure enough, she was draped over him, with her head resting on his shoulder, making her lips pucker out in a way that should have been silly, but was cute to Megamind. Her hand was placed right in the center of his chest, close enough to his heart that she could surely feel it beating. For a brief moment he wondered if she had made a conscious decision to place her hand there, in a way that made him feel vulnerable and utterly weak under her touch. Even the thought of it increased his already-rapid heart rate, which was pounding out all of his feelings into the back of his ribs like a typewriter.

Then he noticed her leg. Her leg, with the tight black fabric of her pants clinging to it, accentuating the full curve of her thigh, which was stretched out over both of his. His heart pounded harder, mind going blank for a moment.

Oh, this was not good. This was really, really not good.

Should he move Roxanne and risk waking her? It seemed like the morally correct thing to do, but she had been so exhausted yesterday, and it was so early; was she ready to be awake? Probably not, and he didn’t want to disturb her. After all, she looked so peaceful, with her dark eyelashes fanned out above flushed cheeks, lips slightly parted.

He knew what he needed to do, but he just couldn’t bring himself to rouse her from what looked to be a good dream. She needed the rest, and he-

Megamind was selfish. He knew that. But all he wanted to do was memorize everything about this moment. The way the warmth of her felt, the constant, reassuring sound of her breathing, everything about her touch and her presence, was so foreign and so pleasant, despite his heart being insistent that he shouldn’t be enjoying it.

The pressure she was putting on his body was slight, but enough to make breathing that much more of a labor for him; it sent aching pain radiating from his sternum to his spine. That didn’t make him want to move her, though. He never wanted the soft weight of her to leave.

If he died like this, he would have no regrets.

He was acutely aware of her hot, even breath brushing over his neck like a ghost of a kiss, and when she moved he froze; she shifted, nuzzling her face against his shoulder and sighing, her fingers clutching at his shirt. A glance over her soft features proved she was still asleep. She had never looked quite so beautiful to him than she did in that moment. If only he could wake her gently with a kiss to her forehead, if only he could tell her good morning and ask how she slept.

If only he could hold her face in his hands and kiss her with all the things he’d been holding back, to show her how important she was to him, how much he appreciated her-

But then he felt guilty for even thinking such a thing. Disgust filled his aching chest like a flash flood. She would never want that, never want him like that, and it was frustrating that he had so much trouble smothering the flame of hope in his heart that just refused to go out. Roxanne didn’t want him; why couldn’t he make himself understand that?

He turned the light on. With misty eyes, he reached for her hand, and almost burst into tears as he carefully moved it away, but he had to, he had to because-

If he didn’t do it now, he really might cry.

As he tucked Roxanne’s hand against her chest, preparing himself to move her leg as well, her eyes fluttered open.

Oh god.

He recoiled away from her, pain and fear shooting through his rib cage like a shock of lightning. Fuck, he needed to-

“I’m sorry,” he said, pushing himself further away from her, one hand scrambling at the edge of his mattress and the other clutching at his left side. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- I was trying to-”

“Hey,” she said, eyes still unfocused with grogginess. “It’s okay. I’m not mad.”

Before he could stop them, the tears in his eyes welled up too far and spilled over, darting down his face and hitting the sheets. God, he really was pathetic. She should think he was a creep, she should hate him, she-

“Megamind, hey,” she murmured, “what’s the matter? Are you in pain?”

“No, I’m fine, just-“ her hand on his wrist startled him into silence. With unbelievable gentleness, she pulled his hand away from his side, and he watched her face with an intense focus as she did so, trying to read her but finding himself at a loss. With her free hand, she reached up slowly, like she was trying not to frighten him, and brushed her thumb under his eye.

Oh, she was so tender with him. So friendly, despite all the aggravating things he’d done. It made his chest ache, but at the same time muted the near-panic bubbling up into his throat.

“You’re bleeding,” she said, eyebrows furrowing. Megamind looked down, and sure enough, there were traces of black blood on his fingers. Great, that was just what he needed. He hated being the reason Roxanne’s face was twisted with worry.

“It’s nothing,” he said, pulling his arm free of her grasp. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Let me help you. It’s not something you should have to do by yourself.”

“I can handle it.”

“No.” She held up a hand. “Listen. I want to help you. I know you don’t like people touching you sometimes, but I won’t hurt you, okay?” He didn’t pull away when she placed that hand on his cheek.

She really didn’t know what she did to him, did she? He’d never felt so much pain in his entire life. This was hard for him, so hard to let her touch him like this and see him in such a weak state of being, to let her see this side of him that he never showed to anyone. Of course he knew what he was going to do, though; if she wanted something from him, he would always give it to her, no matter what the cost. The nagging feeling that he was inconveniencing her, the fear that she was as disgusted with him as he was with himself… he forced it aside and did his very best to smile.

“I know you won’t,” he murmured, hoping it didn’t sound as fragile to her as it did to his own ears. “But I really can take care of it myself.”

“You can, but… I really want to help.”

There was no arguing. “Then you can.” It was what she wanted, after all.

“Thank you,” she said, “I’ll go get the first aid stuff. Take off your shirt while I’m gone, will you?”

He nodded, and then did a double take.

“I’m sorry, do what?”


	5. Bittersweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is still from Megamind’s point of view, to avoid any confusion. Sorry for any errors, I didn’t proof-read very thoroughly. I hope you enjoy it anyways :)

Roxanne looked at him for a moment, her expression a mix of confusion and amusement.

“I need to take care of your wounds… and that means you have to take off your shirt, so I can get to them.”

Ah. That… made sense. 

“Right,” he said, “right, okay. Yes.”

She patted the side of his face, the gesture oddly reassuring. Megamind was… the right word was self-loathing, but he preferred to describe it as modesty. There was a reason he wore so many layers, a reason only his face and the front of his neck were visible in the clothes he normally wore. Of all the things he was not proud of, the way his body looked in the mirror was high on the list. But Roxanne made him feel a little less ashamed.

“I’ll be back,” she said, rising to her feet unsteadily. “Minion is awake by now, right?”

“Yes, he- he should be.”

“Great.”

With that, she was gone, vanished through the door, and for the first time since yesterday afternoon, Megamind was alone.The silence was immense.

With shaking hands, he reached up to the top button on his pajama shirt, steeling his nerves as he undid it. Then, he undid the second one. He repeated the pattern for four more buttons, confidence wavering by the last one. It wasn’t really the thought of being shirtless that bothered him, but rather the thought that Roxanne would see his bare chest, would see his wounds bleeding a thick, dark blood, the fluorescent bruises that blossomed on his skin, and wouldn’t be able to see him as anything but a creature she’d find in a nightmare.

Logically, he knew Roxanne would probably never say something so cruel, even if she was thinking it. But the insecure, nagging part of his brain was already convinced this was going to be a disaster, that this moment was going to become kindling for the fire of shame he tended to deep inside his chest.

God, he was being so dramatic. It didn’t matter how he felt about this; Roxanne had asked him to do something, and so he was going to do it.

With rough movements, he yanked his arm out of one of the sleeves, and then the other, ignoring the sparks of pain that lingered as he set the shirt on his mattress.

The sheets on that side of his bed were never messy, but he kind of liked that they were; it was nice to have a visual reminder of the previous night’s events.

The door opened, and Megamind fought the instinct to cover himself with his hands. Roxanne’s eyes didn’t waver from his face; in fact, she didn’t seem uncomfortable at all. _Of course she isn’t bothered_ , he chided himself, _this doesn’t mean the same things to her that it does to you_. In her arms she was hauling Minion’s bulky first aid case, and Megamind couldn’t help smiling at the little puff of breath she let out when she dropped the case on the bed.

“Jeez, that thing is heavy,” she said, raising an eyebrow at him. Her smile was dazzling. “Let’s get you patched up, okay?”

It was both sweet and a little condescending that she was talking to him like that, but it made him wonder how she really saw him. To her, was he really a friend? Was he a liability? He hoped it was the former, because if he was inconveniencing her in any way, he didn’t know if he could forgive himself. Her time was precious.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

She reached out to him, warm fingers brushing over the bandages around his ribs. When she found the end, she tugged on it to free it, and then carefully unraveled it from around his body. A lump formed in his throat as he watched, heart aching, as her face went pale.

“Oh my god...” Roxanne covered her mouth briefly, eyes flickering over his wounded body. He already knew what that looked meant; she had to be so disgusted by what she was seeing, so disturbed by the odd color of blood and the swollen, flushed skin around the shallow gashes in his side. But she didn’t really look disgusted. In fact, she looked-

She looked sad.

“I didn’t know this happened to you,” she murmured, reaching over to the first aid kit and opening its lid, taking a few moments to search for something. “I mean, I knew you were hurt, but… you didn’t tell me you got cut up this badly.” After a moment, she pulled a square of gauze from the kit, and held it against the wound to stop the bleeding. It hurt like she was cutting a brand new hole in his skin, but he gritted his teeth and remained quiet.

“I didn’t want to worry you,” he said, wincing halfway through the sentence, which probably worried her quite a bit.

“That’s not a good reason to not tell me something.”

“Yes it is.”

“No it isn’t.” She dabbed at the wound with antibiotic ointment and a q-tip, her face twisted with irritation. “I need to know these things.”

“Why do you need to know?” He should probably have stopped pushing her on the whole topic, but he didn’t, and he wasn’t sure why. Aggravating her wasn’t something he took pleasure in, so what was he doing?

“Because I-“ she froze. “I… guess I don’t. You don’t have to tell me anything.”

Oh, that wasn’t good. The mask over her expression was one of reserved anger, but her eyes were bright with pain, like he’d hurt her feelings. A little spark of panic lit up his chest.

“No, that’s not-“ he couldn’t think of the right words. “I just didn’t want to scare you, Roxanne. You seemed so upset already, I just- didn’t want to make that worse. I’m sorry.”

She met his gaze, jaw set. Oh, she was angry, wasn’t she? He braced himself for a punch to the face that never came. Instead, she continued dressing his wounds, her hands shaking but quick.

“You don’t have to be sorry,” she said, beginning to wrap a clean bandage around his ribs. “This- well, none of it is my business. I don’t need to be a part of it if you don’t want me to.”

“I want you to,” he said quickly, the tightness behind his ribs only growing. “I want you to be here.”

If she left, he didn’t know what he would do. Being alone, sleeping alone, having nobody close to him that he felt safe with-

He was so tired of it. Even if she would only ever be his friend… he was so grateful for that. Of course, he had Minion, but it was different than what he had with Roxanne. With her, he believed that maybe things would be okay. Her friendship was enough. It would have to be enough. But if she left now, left him without turning back to reconsider, his heart…

Well, it was a fragile thing.

She took a deep breath, a sure sign that she had decided to leave and to never speak to him again, and then she spoke. He braced himself.

“I’m not going anywhere.” She reached for his hand, and gripped it in hers, so careful and affectionate and ridiculous. He had to be dreaming.

“Why on earth,” he asked, “would you want to stay?”

“Don’t be dumb.” She met his gaze with a half-smile, and for a moment Megamind forgot how to breathe. “I want to stay because of you.” It didn’t sound right to his ears, like a song with one wrong note. Why would anyone stay because of him?

“That seems like all the more reason to leave.”

“You’re my friend. You will never be the reason I leave.” Her eyes glittered, making his weak heart stutter inside his chest, feeling a bit like a mild heart attack. When she looked at his mouth, it stopped altogether. Then, she laughed. “Your mouth is hanging open. Everything alright?”

“Yes! Yes, of course, I’m-“ he made a conscious effort to shut his mouth and keep it that way. “I’m fine.”

“Okay, good,” she said through laughter. “I’m going to the bathroom; do you need anything while I’m up?”

“No, I think I’m good.” There was a persistent throbbing pain behind his left eye, and his lower back had gone numb a while ago, but of course he didn’t mention either of those things.

As soon as she slipped out of the room, Megamind reached for his shirt and attempted to put it on. He got one arm in its sleeve just fine, but the way he had to twist his arm back to try and reach the other sleeve was too painful. Pulling that side of his shirt closer with his other arm was a little less painful, but he still couldn’t seem to work the damn thing on.

He must have been a pitiful sight; a broken man who couldn’t even put his own shirt on alone, relying on the help of someone else. 

It was a few more minutes before he heard the bedroom door open again, but he couldn’t bring himself to look up. The door caused a draft, and that draft smelled a lot like pancakes. It was only then Megamind noticed how hungry he was.

“Minion made pancakes,” Roxanne said from the doorway, “do you want any?”

“Yes, please.”

“Good, because I already made you a plate.” That made him look up at her, more out of instinct than anything.

She was leaning against the doorframe, a devilish grin across her lips and two plates in her hands; it was crystal clear to him at that moment why he liked her so much. There was something intensely captivating about the gleam in her eyes, making it impossible to look away, when before it had been so hard to look up. 

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

She gave him a once-over, and then walked over, setting their plates on his nightstand. There were no words. With careful movements, she reached out towards him, and suddenly his ribs were cemented in place, and he could no longer breathe. Roxanne seemed to have the tendency to do that to him.

“You can ask for help if you need it,” Roxanne said, fingertips and tone breaking him gently into pieces as she guided his arm through the sleeve of his shirt. “There’s no shame in needing help sometimes, okay?”

There was nothing kind he could say about himself in that moment, so he remained quiet, not wanting to insult her. She did up his buttons with only a little trouble, and he could have done that part himself, but she looked so determined to help him, her tongue poking out a little as she did the last button. It was impossible to tell her no.

“There,” she said. “Better?”

“Yes, I- thank you, Roxanne.” She handed him his plate with a grin on her lips, then took her own to the other side of the bed and sat down with her back against the headboard. Everything was good in that moment; he had never been quite so happy, never quite so sure that everything was going to be fine. It only took him a few minutes to shovel half his food into his mouth; he hadn’t realized how hungry he was, but he had skipped lunch and dinner the night before. But it didn’t take him long to notice the way Roxanne hadn’t touched the contents of her plate, a clear sign that she wasn’t feeling very well. It immediately put him on edge. With a heavy breath, she met his gaze, her eyes a little too bright.

“Listen, we need to talk. About Wayne.”

And his happiness faded into the somber mood that settled over the two of them, because of all the conversations he didn’t want to have with Roxanne, this was at the top of the list. There were too many painful things he’d buried that he knew she would dig up. He wanted to tell her, but that wasn’t the problem; he just wasn’t sure he could.

“What about him?” Megamind asked, picking at his food half-heartedly. His appetite had vanished.

“I know it’s a touchy subject for you, and I’m sorry, but I think it’s important for me to know why you and Wayne don’t get along, before-” she cut herself off, and he noticed the way she refused to look at him.

“Before what?”

“Before I… you know, go talk to him. About what happened yesterday.”

“Are you implying that you’re thinking about going alone?” He asked. “You know I can’t let you do that. It’s not safe for you to be around him when he’s in such a volatile state of mind.”

Roxanne set her food aside and grabbed his shoulders, gaze steady and a little desperate as it burned into him. No, he thought, she can’t go alone. The things he might do if something happened to her, if someone hurt her, and he had been able to do nothing to stop it… well, he didn’t want to think about it.

“I’m sorry,” she said, eyebrows furrowed. “But I have to go without you. There’s no way I’m ever letting him near you again.”

“As if you could stop him,” Megamind said with a scoff. “Metro Man is infinitely more powerful than either of us. If he wanted to hurt me, then he would, as you can see.” He gestured to himself, and immediately regretted being so harsh. Roxanne’s expression wasn’t at all what he expected; in the place of what should have been rage, there was a softness to her features, and her eyes-

Oh god.

“Please,” she said, voice tinged with desperation. It was like she was breaking his heart all over again. “I can’t watch you get hurt again, Megamind. I know that Wayne is too strong for me to protect you. But he won’t hurt me; there’s no reason for him to, so I’ll be safer than if you went. You have to trust me on that.” Her fingers cupped his face. “ _Please_.”

And obviously he wasn’t going to let her go alone, even though he knew it was unreasonable. There was no way, regardless of any valid points she might have, because so many things could go wrong and he couldn’t let her risk that. He couldn’t agree to it.

But was it really his place to tell her no?

“Okay,” he heard himself say. “Okay. I understand.”

No, it wasn’t his place. Roxanne was a smart woman, and he knew she would be just fine without him. There was no reason to talk to her like that wasn’t the case.

And the smile on her face was enough to ease some of the fear, although it stayed in the deepest part of his chest as he smiled back at her, trying his best to ignore his shaking hands.

“Thank you,” she said, and before he had time to blink, she leaned forward and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. “I know this is hard for you, and I really appreciate you being so understanding.”

“I- well, uh- yes, I mean, of course I-“ He shook his head. _Get it together_ , he told himself, _don’t be stupid. Close your mouth, dammit!_ “Anything for you.”

“Anything?”

“Yes, of course. Anything at all.” He watched, probably not breathing, as she looked away from his face, as though embarrassed.

“I need to know,” she said. “Why don’t you and Wayne get along?” For a moment he was silent, because he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say. Having never talked about it before made it a lot more difficult than it should have been, but he would try, as long as it would make her happy.

“We probably would have gotten along,” Megamind said reluctantly, “had our lives not been so drastically different. He was raised in a house with loving parents, who happened to be one of the oldest founding families in Metro City. I was raised in a prison, primarily by the warden and convicts. As you can probably imagine, that created a rift between the two of us, that… well, it made it impossible for us to be anything but what we are today.”

“Okay, but… a prison?” Roxanne looked incredulous. “Why would you have been raised in a prison? That seems illegal.”

“It was safer there than anywhere else. If the government had known I existed, who knows what they would have done to me?” He paused, shuddering a little at the thought of it. “No, it was better that way. I mean, I can protect myself now, so it’s not as much of a concern anymore, but- at the time, I could have been killed.”

“That’s really horrible. I’m so sorry.” She studied his features, expression a painful mix of disbelief and concern. He was aware of how odd it must have sounded to her, but there was no reason to lie. In fact, she was probably the one person he would share anything with; the one person he felt he could trust with the things that held him together.

He could see the question forming before she asked it, her lips twitching the way they did when she was thinking really hard about something. “So... I understand why you couldn’t be friends with Wayne,” she said, eyebrows furrowed up in a cute way. “But I don’t get why he was so mean to you. Not being able to be friends doesn’t mean you have to be enemies.” Oh, if only it were that simple, but nothing could be simple for Megamind.

“We have been in the roles of hero and supervillain since we were young. He was simply playing his part. It took me longer to do the same. Eventually, he probably started taking satisfaction in it, the fact that he could hurt me and get away with it because-“ he paused for a moment, a dull ache making itself known behind his ribs. “Well, nobody really cared if he hurt me. It became an easy outlet for his frustration, which I’m sure is also the reason for his violent outburst yesterday.”

But this time someone cared.

Roxanne really didn’t understand the effect she had on his life.

“God, Megamind…” she reached out to take his hand, but he pulled it away. The last thing he wanted was her sympathy. A kiss on the cheek had already been so kind; it almost felt like he was doing something wrong, allowing her to make friendly gestures towards him when he knew he could never take them as such.

“Did that answer your question?” He asked, finding himself unable to look at her face. It hurt to talk about it, but at the same time he found himself wanting to tell her more. There was something strangely therapeutic about talking to her.

“Yeah,” she said, “I guess. Just, one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“Do you want to be the bad guy?”

No, of course not. He enjoyed some things about his job, like the excuse to see Roxanne all the time. He enjoyed building elaborate contraptions, and was proud of all of his creations, especially the brainbots and Minion’s suit. But did he want to be the villain? The person everyone else blamed when something bad happened? The focus of everyone’s hatred and disgust?

“No.” He forced himself to meet her gaze. “Of course I don’t. But I don’t mind filling this role, Roxanne. Someone has to do it.”

“That someone doesn’t have to be you.” She smiled at him, but it looked so sad. “Not if you don’t want it to be.”

There was nothing he could say to that. He wanted to believe that perhaps he could be someone other than the person he constantly pretended he was, but he knew that wasn’t realistic. Nobody would trust him after the things he had done. So, there was nothing he could say. She looked like she had a million more questions resting on the tip of her tongue, like she genuinely found some strange thing about him interesting, and that was when he knew he couldn’t talk about it anymore. Not with that look on her face, like she actually cared about what he was saying. It hurt too much.

“When are you going to talk to him?” He asked, changing the subject. “Tomorrow?”

“No, uh… I was actually going to talk to him today.”

Oh. Megamind glanced at the clock, which- it wasn’t already that late, was it? Sometimes it was hard to tell, what with the lack of windows.

He really didn’t want her to go so soon. Maybe if he could convince her to wait, it would give Metro Man some more time to cool down. But he knew, looking at Roxanne’s determined expression, that there would be no convincing.

“Yes, well... would you please keep me updated so I know you’re alright?”

“Of course. What’s your phone number?” There was a pen inside his nightstand, which he used to write his contact information on the palm of her hand. It felt a little childish to do so, but at least she couldn’t lose it too easily that way. Besides, it was exciting to finally have someone to give his number to.

“I’ll have a brainbot bring your purse down. It’s still up on the roof.” Megamind studied her face, not quite sure how she was feeling; it looked like a mix between nervousness and affection. “Are you sure you don’t want someone to go with you? It doesn’t have to be me. Minion could go!”

“I’m sure,” she said, “but thank you. I’ll be okay on my own.”

And he felt so dumb, but he just had to ask her-

“Do you promise?”

“Yeah,” she said, grinning at him. “I promise.”


	6. A Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you guys have been waiting for a kiss, and I didn’t want to let you down, so here it is!!

It felt strange to be home.

Her apartment was silent, and it was deeply unsettling. Of course it was a good thing, meaning there was nobody in her house when they weren’t supposed to be, but the stillness was jarring in contrast to her time spent with Megamind. His home was filled with life and warmth, made up of the essence of him, and Roxanne didn’t see any of those things in her house. It was messy and cold. Even though she’d been there just a day earlier, it felt lonely in an uncomfortable way, like there had not been life inside it for a long, long time.

Half-conscious of her actions, she took a step inside and closed the door behind her. She was tempted to turn around right then and walk back out, to return to the lair and possibly never leave again, but of course she couldn’t do that. There were reasons she was home; things she had to do, that she couldn’t just ignore, even if she really wanted to.

After setting her purse and keys on the kitchen counter, she went to her room to find clean clothes. Her heart did a little flip when she saw her dress that she’d worn yesterday on her bed, washed and folded. All of the stains appeared to have been scrubbed out. Megamind must have had a brainbot do that for her, which was oddly touching.

The fact that he was considerate towards her, far past simple politeness, made something deep inside her ache. It made her want to know him better.

In the back of her closet she found a plain pair of jeans that she hadn’t worn in a while, and she grabbed a random shirt from one of her dresser drawers. That would do, as far as clothing went. Now she needed a shower. The nervous sweat and tears that had dried on her skin needed to go, to at least provide the illusion that the whole fiasco with Wayne and Megamind was behind her.

When she started to pull her sweater over her head, however, she froze. It smelled like Megamind’s house in the best way, a little like his cologne and a little like Minion’s cooking, and a lot like a couple other things that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It was comforting.

So, she left the sweater on her bed, fully intending to never wash it again, and went into the bathroom to shower.

It was as she had left it. Sunlight trickled in through the small window above her bathtub, seeping between the place where the curtains met in rays that made the dust in the air look almost beautiful. Her things were strewn across the bathroom counter from yesterday morning, when she had been in a hurry to get ready. She placed her clothes among these things and turned on the bathtub’s faucets, adjusting them to a temperature that was comfortable.

Thoughts of Megamind plagued her as she turned on the shower head and stepped under its stream. She wondered if he was alright on his own. If he needed her help. But of course, it would do her no good to worry about it; if he really needed her help, he could just call her. She’d texted him to make sure he had her phone number, after all.

The warm water running over her skin made the tense muscles in her arms, her back, her legs unravel and relax, and it was only then that she realized how tense she had been. She watched her stress wash down the drain in a little whirlpool, aware that it would soon be replaced.

She washed her hair and body with her favorite soaps. it was surprising how much better she felt after she stepped out onto the bath mat and wrapped herself in a towel. The whole bathroom was steamy. As she wiped the collection of mist off her mirror with a hand, her mind drifted to Megamind. In particular, the look on his face when she had kissed him on the cheek.

It had looked a lot to her like he was trying to keep a straight face, but the blush over his cheeks and the way he couldn’t make eye contact with her was enough to tell her that it had embarrassed him. But was it because he was a modest person by nature? Or perhaps, was it-

She patted her own cheeks, hard, feeling her face get warm and her heart flutter. Stop it, she thought to herself, you know he doesn’t feel that way about you. He doesn’t feel that way about anyone.

But the thoughts persisted anyways, even as she patted her skin down with a towel and began to get dressed. Megamind shirtless had been…

Well, it hadn’t made her job any easier. She’d never realized that he had- well, muscle. He was thin, but not at all like the walking skeleton she’d pictured under that suit of his. Not to say she’d ever pictured him naked, of course, because that would be- but if she had pictured him naked, she wouldn’t have imagined him to be at all muscular. He was toned and willowy, kind of like a gymnast might be. And god, his skin… the way it was always a little bit cold against her fingertips, the way he shivered when she touched him-

Stop it, stop it! She pulled her jeans over the curves of her hips by the belt loops, only a little aggressively, and yanked her tee shirt on like that as well. It was an old Aerosmith concert tee, one that she’d had for years and still not gotten rid of, despite the bleach stain on one sleeve and holes in the side. The design reminded her of Megamind.

“Yeah Roxanne, we get it,” she mumbled as she tugged a comb through her hair. “You’re obsessed.”

Talking to herself was probably a good sign. A glance in the mirror, which was fogging back up again, proved that she looked almost back to her usual self, which was reassuring. Even if she was going crazy, at least she didn’t look like it.

Doing something as mundane as make coffee felt like an incredibly delicate procedure, as though her shaking hands may mess it up. But she didn’t mess it up, and soon had a pot of freshly brewed coffee. She put too much sugar in her mug on purpose, lips turning up a little at the corners just thinking about it. With her cup in her hands, she went out onto her balcony.

It was a beautiful morning, even if she was lonely. The coffee she’d made steamed against the bitter morning air, cold wind kissing her chapped lips and brushing against her face, painfully numb. She kind of liked it, though. It was almost enough to distract her from the dark shadow of dread looming over her shoulder.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, making her jump. It was a text from Megamind.

_How are you doing?_

Was he worried about her? That made Roxanne happier than she cared to admit.

_Good. I’m having coffee right now, but I’m gonna talk to Wayne soon. How are you? Must be miserable without me :)_

His response was almost immediate.

_I’ll admit, it’s been a rough morning. Minion misses you. We are both wishing you luck!_

Roxanne wanted to believe that it wasn’t only Minion that missed her. After a brief moment of hesitation, she allowed herself to think, just for that fleeting second, that maybe it was the truth.

_Thank you. I’ll see you soon._

And with that, she looked out over the city, knowing that Metro Man was out there somewhere. She was ready to talk to him. The cautious part of her hesitated at the thought of attempting something so dangerous, but the reporter in her practically danced with excitement. All of this, of course, was clouded by anger that she was trying to suppress.

“Wayne,” she said, speaking no louder than she would be if he were standing right next to her. “I need to talk to you.”

At first there was nothing, like the city itself was holding its breath, waiting for something important to happen. The birds were silent. Cars ceased their rumbling and honking. It was, for a split second, still.

And then he was there, standing reluctantly beside her with his hands clasped together. He was a mess, with the start of a beard clinging to his chin and unkempt hair brushing at his eyes. It almost seemed like he’d just gotten out of bed; seeing the city’s greatest defender dressed in sweatpants and a stained robe was sort of surreal, and not in a good way. The shadows under his eyes, however, made it clear that he had not slept.

“What do you want,” he said, tone and expression flat as though he already knew exactly what she wanted. The thought of him being so emotionless despite what he had done made her bristle.

“Do you have any idea,” she said, “how badly you hurt him?” Wayne didn’t respond, his gaze set somewhere by Roxanne’s feet, and that somehow made her even angrier. “I don’t know what you were thinking, or if you even were thinking. You could have killed someone, Wayne, and that is something that never goes away after it’s done. How does that not bother you at all?”

“Roxy, I didn’t mean-“

“I’m sure you didn’t,” she snapped. “Didn’t mean to break his leg, right? I’m sure the concussion and cracked ribs were also an accident, right, Wayne?” He flinched when she said his name, like she’d slapped him.

“I really didn’t mean to,” he muttered, scratching at his scruffy facial hair and refusing to look at her. “I was just angry, and when I noticed you bleeding, I thought he hurt you, so I kind of lost it. It’s fine though, he’ll get over it and-“

“He’ll get over it?” It was almost ridiculous how stupid Wayne was. “No. No, he will not just get over it. You punished him for something that wasn’t even his fault. You were the reason I got hurt. Because you’re reckless and stupid, not him.”

“He kidnapped you, Roxanne! That seems plenty reckless to me. Shouldn’t you be upset with him too?”

“No, I really shouldn’t, because it was all just a game until you took it too far. You tried to kill him, and you need to stop trying to excuse that as nothing.” She gave him a long, hard look. The broad expanse of his shoulders wilted in under her withering stare. “Explain yourself.”

“Okay, I’ll try, just-“ he held out his open palms to her in a placating manner. “Please, just listen to me.” When she was silent, he seemed to take it as a sign to continue speaking.

“We go back a long way, Megamind and I.” Wayne leaned hard against the railing of the balcony. “Since the very beginning. We grew up together, and even when we were young, everyone was scared of us. I didn’t like feeling like I was different from everyone else, and I figured out at a young age that… well, it’s easy to be viewed as normal if someone else exists who’s weirder than you are. I decided, way back then, that nobody was going to see me as a threat again.” He met her gaze, a little tired and a little sad. “But I guess that didn’t really work out, did it? You probably hate me for what I’ve done.”

“I don’t hate you.” Her phone vibrated, and she ignored it. “Keep talking.”

“Well… in elementary school, I tried to make sure that everyone saw Megamind as the freak, and not me, because I couldn’t handle the idea of anyone looking at me the way they looked at him. I- I know that sounds bad, but... it wasn’t hard. You know, with him looking so different from everyone else. It made my job easy. People fear the things that they don’t understand, and love to categorize things into groups. They didn’t understand Megamind or me, and so they did their best to put us into our places in society. They decided he must be evil. Decided I must be good.”

There was a moment of silence as he seemed to contemplate what to say next. His lips quivered in a way that reminded Roxanne a little too much of the way Megamind’s lips quivered when he cried. The two of them were similar in a lot of ways, but at some point seemed to have branched in two different directions.

“And I stopped seeing him for a while. He got expelled from the elementary school, and I didn’t see him again until junior high. That was about the time that I… well. That I started to have more going on in my life. I was a sworn protector of the city by then. My job outside of school and sports was to protect the people of Metro City, and I think it made me a little full of myself. I was frustrated with the fact that Megamind was back, with the fact that he existed in my space and was trying to make friends with the people that were supposed to hate him, and so I… I hurt him. I hurt him bad, Roxanne.”

Wayne stopped for a moment, his breath coming fast and uneven. If this wasn’t Megamind they were talking about, someone Roxanne had deep-rooted affection for, she might have almost felt sorry for the giant, quivering man before her. It was understandable why he’d done such terrible things, and that was the part that made her the most angry; almost anyone in his situation would have considered doing what he had done.

“I know it’s fucked up,” he muttered, and Roxanne was shocked to see tears in his eyes. “I know it is, but at the time it felt like the only thing I could do to keep it together. He became my only outlet for all the frustrations in my life, and I started to rely on him so much, I-“ his voice caught on a shaky breath. “I’m scared I can’t change, Roxanne. I want to, but I’m worried I'll always be this…this hateful, angry person. And I don’t want that.”

“Then change,” she said. It was strange, watching someone she’d always perceived as invincible cower in on himself out of shame. “I don’t think either of you really wanted for things to end up like this. It’s not too late to change it for the better.”

He nodded, taking a few steps towards her and then sitting down hard into one of her deck chairs. With his head in his hands like that, she almost believed that he really was sorry for what he’d done.

“Roxanne, there’s a reason.” He paused to look up at her, eyes misty. “You know, a reason for what happened yesterday.”

The other chair was empty, and so she sat down, eyes scanning his face. It was a little unnerving, how serious he looked.

“What?” She asked, not sure if she was ready for the answer. The anger that had plagued her chest had faded into something like irritation and curiosity mixed together. It was not a pleasant feeling.

“Yesterday was just… really hard. I was angry.” He wiped at his eyes, which were red and filled with exhaustion. “I just don’t want this. The constant fighting, the constant defending of the city from a threat that isn’t really threatening at all. This façade, it’s just- it’s too much. I don’t want-“ His voice broke up into a hundred little pieces, a few of which managed to jab Roxanne right in the heart. “I don’t want to be the hero anymore.”

Roxanne’s phone buzzed again, and again she ignored it, instead placing a hand on Wayne’s shoulder and meeting his gaze.

“What you did was really fucked up,” she said, giving him a hard look. “Taking out your problems on someone like him, someone you know is sensitive and caring and genuinely good, just for the sake of making yourself look better… I will never forgive you for that. And you need to apologize to him so maybe he can forgive you.” Wayne nodded, seeming to close in on himself a little. “But you should never feel forced to be something you're not. The city can find another hero.”

That seemed to catch him off guard. His mouth hung open slightly for a moment, as though he was in shock, before he managed to speak.

“Roxanne,” he murmured, “do you really mean that?”

“Yeah. I know more than one person who isn’t too happy with their current role in life, so… I understand.” Her hand fell away from his shoulder, instead resting on her lap.

“That is such a relief,” he said, face breaking into a huge, dimpled grin.

And… Roxanne smiled back.

“What do you want to do instead?” She asked, taking a sip of her coffee, which had gone cold.

“I don’t know.” Wayne ran his knuckles over his scruffy beard, gaze set somewhere on the horizon. Then, he chuckled. “I’ve always loved music.”

“That’s good.” She took another sip, and set her mug on the balcony railing. There was a brief silence before an important thought crossed Roxanne’s mind. The main reason she had needed to see Wayne, which she had almost forgotten about. “Wayne?”

“Yeah?”

“Never… never touch him again.” The acid in her tone burned her throat, and she tried her best to swallow it down. “If you hurt him again I swear I’ll kill you myself. Is that clear?”

“Crystal.” Then he smiled at her, and it made her chest tighten up. It didn’t really seem like something to smile about to her, but then again, her threats were empty. She couldn’t kill Metro Man. Nobody could. “I won’t hurt him anymore, I promise.”

There was another pause in conversation. Roxanne looked up at Wayne, scanning over the odd look on his face, and then quickly looked away, finding that her face had gone a little warm.

”I’m happy,” she said, “that you want to do something so constructive with your time. Music is such a healthy way to express your emotions.”

”Yeah, it’ll be fun to learn. I was thinking... guitar, maybe. Or drums.”

”Maybe you can play for me sometime, once you get the hang of it.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, maybe. I think I’d like that.”

”Me too.” Wow, it was almost peaceful. Roxanne found herself sinking into a state of comfort, of contentment, as she sat with Wayne in relaxed conversation.

But of course it didn’t last.

She jumped when a large hand landed on her shoulder; Wayne turned her, a little forcefully, to face him. The warmth in his expression was tinged with something else, something that made Roxanne want to leave. She placed her hand on her chest and tried to push him off, but he didn’t even seem to notice.

“Listen, Roxy...” he gazed at her with piercing eyes, lips pressed into a thin line. “I am so grateful for you talking to me about this,” he said, his tone soft. “It means a lot to me that you care, so… let me say thank you.” What was that face? What was he-

She didn’t even have time to turn away, to avoid his lips pressing against hers. Pushing him away did nothing. He cupped the back of her head as she struggled, like he didn’t even notice it, or like he didn’t care, but she wanted him off.

Trying to turn away didn’t work, not with his hand keeping her in place. Panic built up and erupted behind her chest, but it did no good to freak out. In a moment of intense fear, wanting nothing but to escape from his grip, she bit down on his lip as hard as she could, pushing him away with all of her strength, and finally, finally, Wayne pulled back to look at her.

Roxanne ripped herself free from his grasp, standing and walking to the far end of the balcony, clutching at her arms and trying not to hyperventilate. When she heard Wayne stand up to follow her, she whipped around, her entire body on fire in a way that was unpleasant and painful and terrifying.

“How dare you,” she hissed, tears stinging her eyes. It would do no good to cry in front of him, but it was just too much. “How dare you do that to me.”

“I-” Metro Man took a step towards her, but froze as he studied her face. He almost looked scared. “I thought you wanted me to. I’m sorry, Roxanne.”

“There is nothing I have done to even imply that I would _ever_ want you to kiss me.” It hurt. Something deep inside her chest ached. “Get out. Just get out.”

“But I-”

“I told you to leave.” She turned away before the first tears fell, trying so hard to keep it together but she was crumbling into pieces, falling apart more by the second.

When Roxanne turned around again, Wayne was gone, not a single thing on her balcony suggesting he had been there in the first place. Her knees practically gave out from underneath her as she walked shakily to a chair. As soon as she sat down, something inside her snapped in two, perhaps the last thread holding her together. She began to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry lol please don’t hate me


	7. Cingulomania

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consider this an apology for chapter 6.
> 
> I just wanted to tell you that when you like my story enough to comment on it, you are making my entire day. Seeing nice comments from you guys makes me so happy, and eager to write more. So thank you, I hope you continue to enjoy this :)

The sound of rushing water filled the bathroom as Roxanne stood at the sink, clutching at the edge of the counter. Her knuckles were white, and her face was just as pale, ghostly and ill in her reflection. She felt like she was going to throw up.

With her head bowed a little, she cupped water in her shaking hands and raised it to her lips, the cold liquid stinging against the chapped red skin. Again and again she did this, trying to remove something that she knew she couldn’t. His kiss on her lips felt like poison, and she wanted it off. But even after ten times of washing her mouth, she did not feel cleaner. What he’d done to her remained, lingering like a constant uneasy feeling behind her, a feeling that she should be watching her back.

It wasn’t pleasant, feeling unsafe in her own home. The fact that Wayne had made her feel this way, had forced her to feel so angry and helpless, made her even angrier.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she cursed under her breath. _Stupid_ , she thought to herself, _Megamind is probably worried sick_. Being so wrapped up in what had happened with Wayne had made her forget he’d texted. She rushed to turn the faucets off and dry her hands on the closest fabric, which was her pants.

As expected, there were several messages.

_How is everything going? Let me know if you need someone to come get you. It’s a beautiful day for a ride over the city. :)_

_Are you okay? I’m starting to get worried._

_Please text me so I know you’re okay. This is scaring me, Roxanne._

Fuck. As quickly as she could, she typed a response.

_I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry._

He texted back almost immediately.

_Thank goodness you’re okay. Please travel safely._

In that moment, it became very clear to Roxanne who the villain was in her life, and who it had always been. Wayne had never been the hero; just a man in a cape who abused others for his own benefit. All Megamind wanted was for people to be nice to him, wanted someone to care for him.

Roxanne needed to get home to him as quickly as possible.

 _No, not home_ , she thought to herself, but the idea of it refused to be suppressed. As she rushed into her bedroom to pack an overnight bag, she found herself drawing a blank for what she might need. Her bathroom stuff. Pajamas. What else? She ended up putting those things into her drawstring backpack, along with a deck of cards, a notebook and some colored pencils that she’d never taken out of the box. Megamind was probably bored out of his mind, stuck in bed, so she figured he could use something to do.

Right before she walked out the door, she collected her keys and gave her apartment one final once-over. Disgust twisted her stomach as her eyes landed on her coffee cup, which was still where she’d left it on the balcony. If she never had to come back to this apartment, she wouldn’t.

With that she turned away from her heartache, leaving all the things that were hurting her in the apartment as she closed the door hard and walked away, backpack slung over her shoulder.

On the way down the stairs, she remembered that she had work tomorrow. She only considered going for a split second. It wouldn’t kill her to take a sick day; after the past couple days she’d had, she felt like she deserved a break.

Leaving the building felt good. Getting into a taxi and driving away felt better. But knowing that Wayne could be anywhere in the city, knowing he could find her at any moment, made her want the cabby to drive faster.

As the city rolled by in waves, Roxanne kept thinking she saw him. On a park bench, at a table in front of a café, in an alley. But then she’d blink and there would be nothing there, the buildings moving past too quickly to look again and see if she’d been imagining things. It felt like being followed; not quite as vivid as a ghost, but more prominent than a shadow, as though her brain was searching for the things she was trying not to think about. She shook her head a little, and turned her attention to the back of the seat in front of her, and didn’t allow her eyes to wander for the rest of the drive.

Her heart was in her throat by the time she reached the outskirts of town where Megamind’s lair was located, despite her best efforts to swallow it back. She practically ran the three blocks to the secret entrance, backpack thudding rhythmically against her back with each step, only making her want to get there faster. It would make it better, he would make it better, because he always did. There was no point in denying the way his presence could draw her out of any mood.

She stopped running when she reached the secret entrance to the lair, which wasn’t so secret; Megamind had told her the exact location, but she wouldn’t have needed it if she’d known there was a welcome mat outside on the pavement. It seemed like something Minion would do. With caution, she stepped through the wall, which was probably the weirdest sensation she’d felt in a long time, and she carefully picked her way through the inner workings of the lair. It wasn’t too hard to find the living space, with the metal goat acting as a sort of landmark. She retraced her steps from the previous day, and found herself standing at the entrance to the living space in no time. Minion was in the kitchen, a cute pink apron draped over his robotic body. He spotted her and smiled.

“You’re back!” He stepped out from behind the island and walked towards her, but she could see his eyes searching her face as he did, as though reading her emotions off her like an open book. “Roxanne, what happened?”

“Nothing, uh… I talked to Metro Man, like you asked. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about him anymore.”

“You say that like he died or something,” Minion said. “He didn’t, right?”

“No. No, he’s fine.”

“Well then why do you look like you just left a funeral?”

“Minion, can we please talk about it later?” She could feel her throat getting tight. No, she was not going to cry again. There had been enough tears shed in the past couple days to fill a swimming pool. “I just- I need to think about it for a little while.”

“Alright,” he said, though he didn’t seem to have dropped the idea of it. “Sir is awake, if you want to talk to him about- I don’t know, anything important.” That look on his face made her uneasy, like he knew something that she didn’t want him to. His grin was slight, but undoubtedly devilish.

That was all he said. He turned away with a cute and equally sinister look on his face, and returned to the kitchen, where he seemed to be decoupaging spikes to the coffee machine. Awesome. With that, Roxanne walked towards Megamind’s bedroom; his door was partially open, and when she peeked inside, her heart leapt inside her chest. His gaze was set intently on the door, and when he saw her face, he-

The best way to describe it was, he lit up.

“Roxanne! I’m so glad you’re okay,” he said, a huge smile on his pretty blue lips. Roxanne didn’t even realize she was walking towards him until she was half-there, jogging over and sitting on his bed. She also didn’t realize how uncomfortable the lump in her throat was becoming until it released, and there were tears running down her face. His smile collapsed a little. “What happened? Hey, it’s alright, Roxanne-”

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in the crook of his neck, barely even processing what she was doing before it was already done. The part that surprised her the most, however, was how much she didn’t care at that moment. Being close to him was the only thing she wanted. After several quiet moments, filled only with the soft, agonized sounds breaking free of her lips, she felt his hands brush over the surface of her back. Megamind’s touch was so careful, so gentle, it only made her cry harder.

“You’re alright now,” he murmured, fingers smoothing down her hair. “You’re safe here, I promise. I will keep you safe.” And the fact that he cared, the fact that he wanted her to feel safe, made her melt on the inside. God, he was so sweet. Nobody deserved that kindness.

“I’m sorry,” she said, practically choking on her own tears.

“You don’t need to be sorry for anything.” He held her tighter, like he was afraid she was falling apart. “Everything is alright now.”

It was several minutes before she pulled herself together enough to let go of him, and when she did, she nearly collapsed back into his arms. Those big, gorgeous green eyes were filled with concern, and were focused on her face, not wavering for even a second.

“Tell me what happened,” he said, leaning forward towards her.

“I don’t know where to start.” Roxanne ran her hands over her face, a spark of irritation lighting up her chest when they came away damp. She probably looked awful, but the way Megamind was gazing at her, intent and starstruck, she could have been the prettiest thing on the face of the earth.

“That’s okay.” His fingers twitched, and Roxanne reached out to take his hand without even thinking about it. It was probably just her imagination, but he seemed to go a little purple in the face. “Just start at the beginning.”

And so she did. She told him about coffee with too much sugar, and about the way the city looked from her balcony. It earned her a smile. Once she had steeled her nerves, she told him about Wayne; about their conversation on the balcony, and how he had promised to never hurt Megamind again. There were some details she decided to leave out, figuring Megamind didn’t need to know that she was aware of so many invasive details of his past. She even told him about Metro Man’s decision to stop being a hero, and at this Megamind grew nervous.

“The city needs a hero,” he insisted. “He can’t just quit a job like that, Roxanne. People rely on him to save them from-”

“From what?” She brushed over his knuckles with a thumb. “Villains like you?” His expression softened, but the corners of his lips twitched downwards.

“Yes,” he said, voice just above a whisper. “Villains like me.”

“Then I think the city will be just fine without him.” Roxanne smiled at Megamind, and he seemed to melt under her gaze. “Besides, I know a man who will be perfect to take his place, once he has healed up a little bit. He’s kind, and courageous, and brilliant. I think he’d be an excellent hero, and from what I can tell he wants to be one, anyways.” She held his hand a little tighter. “Do you know a man like that?”

Megamind was at a loss for words; his mouth hung open a little as he stared at her, eyebrows furrowed up.

“You,” he said, “are ridiculous, Roxanne.” But she could see a glimmer of hope in his eye, and the fact that he was considering it at all was enough for her. He met her gaze, and somehow his eyebrows furrowed up more. “Why were you crying?”

There were a lot of ways to respond to that. Roxanne wasn’t sure she wanted to get into it, knew that bringing it to Megamind’s attention could only result in chaos, but looking at that face, she also knew she couldn’t lie about it. So, what should she say?

“I, uh… was talking to Wayne, and he- I’m not sure why, but he seemed to think I wanted him to-” It was harder to say out loud than she’d thought it would be. The tightness in her throat was suffocating. “I didn’t want him to, and I wish he would have asked, because I never wanted him to do that-”

“Roxanne,” Megamind said hesitantly, expression growing dark. “Tell me what he did to you.”

“He… kissed me.” The last part was so quiet, she wasn’t sure he heard. Until, that is, she looked up at his face. Oh, that was-

Terrifying.

She had never seen such a murderous expression on someone’s face before, not even Wayne. Megamind’s gaze was set somewhere on the other side of the room, pupils small, eyebrow twitching.

“And you… didn’t want him to?” he asked, tone biting and venomous.

“No, of course not, but… it’s not like I could have stopped him.”

Megamind was silent for a few long seconds.

He then bolted up, expression twisted up with rage and pain as he tried to stand. Roxanne instinctively reached out and pulled him back down, but he continued to struggle.

“Let me go,” he hissed, still trying to get up, but his injuries prevented him from pulling free from her grip.

“Stop,” she said, pushing down on his shoulders until his back was pressed against the headboard. “Okay, I know you’re angry, but you need to calm-”

“He crossed a line, Roxanne.” Megamind’s eyes were in flames, his face purple with rage. “I don’t care if he hurts me, but doing this to you… he’s taken things too far.” He stopped struggling, but only to shoot her a glare that was a little angry, but mostly filled with desperation. “Please, I have to do something about him. He’s out of control.”

“You’re staying here.” Roxanne shifted so she was in front of him, hands still holding his shoulders down. Something in his expression became incredibly fragile. “I know he does some really awful things, and he needs to make up for that. But it doesn’t need to happen right now, and it doesn’t need to be you that fixes the problem, because not everything involving him is your responsibility to fix. I need you to stay here and get better, and I know you won’t do that for yourself, so do it for me. I don’t know what I would do if something irreversible happened to you, because you- you…” Her words faded as she became aware of the fact that she was going off on a tangent.

Megamind gaze was glued to her; he seemed to be stunned into silence. His cheeks went a pretty violet color, and the only sound was the shallow breath he was drawing through parted lips. Roxanne found herself staring, unable to tear her eyes away from him. There was something unstable about the air between them; it was solid and unbreathable and felt like it was about to shatter.

“Roxanne, I…” Megamind’s pupils were blown wide. She leaned back a little to get a better look at his face, and was surprised when Megamind leaned forward, not even an inch, as though it was a subconscious reaction. Oh, that was…

Fascinating.

When she leaned forward again, movements slow, tentative, he did not move back, or turn his face away. The feeling inside her chest was like a wildfire in comparison to the half-burned match of anger she was fostering. This was warmer, was softer, and it spread like morphine through her veins. His hot breath brushed over her lips, sending a chill down her spine. She half-expected someone to barge in and interrupt like the last time, but the closer she got to Megamind, the more it seemed like nobody was going to.

A brief thought crossed her mind that maybe he didn’t want this. That maybe he was just too stunned to tell her no. So she hesitated, her lips an inch away from his; he was shaking like a leaf in a storm, his hands pressed into his mattress now, like he had no idea what to do with them.

“Roxanne, please,” he whispered, voice breaking. “Please. Please.”

And so she closed the gap between them, pressing her lips against Megamind’s, savoring the way he melted into her, leaned into her touch when she cupped his face with a hand. When she pulled away after a moment, though it had felt like an eternity, Megamind didn’t move. His eyes remained shut tight, lips parted, for a few moments after the fact, as though he didn’t know what to do. He probably didn’t know what to do. It occurred to Roxanne that she probably just gave Megamind his first kiss.

Oh.

Oh, that was-

He finally opened his eyes, and met her gaze, looking as though there were a dozen painful emotions fighting for control of his heart.

She was certain that she had never felt such strong emotions for anyone before. He was so pretty, she couldn’t stand it.

“I’m sorry,” he said, looking down, away from her face, as though it hurt to see her. “I didn’t mean for you to feel… obligated, to do that. It was inappropriate, I’m-”

She leaned in and silenced him with a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. He stared at her when she pulled away, as though convinced that she was insane. But he didn’t protest when she pressed her forehead to his, when she brushed her thumbs over his brow bones, across his cheekbones. He drew a long, shaky breath as she ran her thumbs along his jaw, and then made a little sound in the back of his throat when she kissed him again; perhaps it was out of surprise, or perhaps something else, but Roxanne didn’t need to know.

At least a minute passed before she pulled away to breathe, lips still brushing against Megamind’s. One of his hands found the small of her back, and the other stayed planted on the mattress, which Roxanne thought was kind of cute.

“Thank you,” he whispered, allowing her to wrap her arms around his shoulders and hold him like that; she buried her face in the crook of his neck and stayed there, never wanting to move again. It made her happy and a little protective, knowing she was the only one who had ever been able to hold Megamind like this. “But, Roxanne, you know you didn’t- you didn’t have to do that to convince me to stay.”

“That’s not why I did.” She emphasized her words with a kiss to his neck. He tensed, but at the same time pressed his hand harder into her back, which Roxanne thought was an interesting reaction. Maybe it was a sensitive area. Maybe he _liked_ it. “I did it because I wanted to.” Then she kissed his cheek, arms still draped over his shoulders. Then his chin. Megamind looked nervous, but his pupils were blown so wide she could hardly see the green of his irises. “Did you want to?” She asked.

“Yes,” he said, eyes widening. “Of course I wanted to.”

“Then last night, why did you act like you didn’t?”

“I thought _you_ didn’t,” he said, shrinking in on himself a little. “It would make more sense than if you did.” There was a brief silence before he looked up at her through his eyelashes, as though he wanted something from her, but was too nervous to say it out loud. Though she wasn’t sure, she thought she knew what it meant. She wanted it, too.

“I really wanted to kiss you,” she said, running one hand down his arm to hold his hand. Those breathtaking green eyes studied her face as she leaned in closer, a little smile playing at her lips. “And if you’ll let me,” she murmured, “I’d like to do it again.” He nodded, and for a moment Roxanne was afraid he was going to pass out, the way his chest was rising and falling so fast.

“Yes, please.”


	8. Maybe It Will Be Okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry this took so long. I’ve been dealing with a lot of life stuff, and I hope the longer chapter makes up for the amount of time it took to write this!

Loneliness, if left untreated, turns to numbness, like frost spreading over the surface of everything which cold air touches at dusk. The winter of solitude which had made a home behind Megamind’s chest was a pressure he’d grown used to, an isolation that follows all those outcast from society. But the summer’s warmth that was Roxanne Ritchi had permeated his very being, seeping into even the most frost-bitten parts of his soul until he was melting for her, revealing a side of himself which he was certain had died years and years ago.

The way she kissed him, as though she had been as touch-starved as him over the years, made something inside him go up in flames and fall apart. Perhaps it was his willpower. Perhaps it was his logic. Perhaps it was the little voice in the back of his mind insisting she was going to hurt him. But whatever it was, somewhere mixed in his last shred of sanity turned to ash, and he found himself clutching at her shirt, her hair, whatever he could get his hands on that caused her to make those little sounds.

It might have been five seconds. It might have been five minutes. When the sun became stagnant in front of him, no longer moving to give linear time itself meaning, everything else became frozen and obsolete. The way she was touching his face with too-warm fingertips and desperate lips made him ache, and it was a divine kind of suffering.

One of her hands brushed over the back of his neck and he pressed into the gratifying feeling, fingers clutching with desperation at her shirt, out of his control completely. He found himself only able to kiss her, not able to focus on what his hands were doing or what sorts of sounds he was making; his lack of experience, which he had never thought would catch up to him, now seemed like a massive inconvenience.

He felt her movements slow like a sudden realization had crossed her mind. Those soft lips worked his over for a few extra moments, hot and hesitant against his mouth, and Megamind was certain he had never been so pleased, overwhelmed, and terrified at once.

As she pulled back for breath Megamind felt a soft whimper escape his chest. Fear won over his contentment, making an aggravated nest of negative thoughts somewhere near where his lungs should have been, but it felt as though he couldn’t breathe. He did not like the thought of what was meant to happen next, now that the awkward tension between them had finally snapped. What would she say? What would she do?

Roxanne refused to meet his gaze, her lips reddened and distracting as she spoke and Megamind listened, a sense of dread settling in the pit of his stomach.

“I, uh…” Roxanne shifted a little, face pink. “I need to go talk to Minion.”

“Oh, uh—okay. Why?”

“I’ll be right back.” Then she got up and walked out of the room, not even sparing a glance in his direction as she shut the door quietly.

Well, that was… sudden. He couldn’t say he was surprised that she’d left; though it had taken her longer than he’d expected to realize her error, she had eventually realized it. The shame in her expression proved that. Because really, who would want to risk getting caught kissing someone like-

No, no. Certainly he was overthinking it. Roxanne wouldn’t be so cruel to him, would she?

A lump formed in the back of Megamind’s throat, and he did his best to force it down. No, not now. He was not going to cry again. All he had done for the past day and a half was cry.

Instead, he swung his feet over the side of his bed, and attempted to stand, determined to do something productive instead. Anything to keep his mind off of how deeply he loved Roxanne, and how little she liked him in return. He found that an idea burning in the front of his brain was becoming less hazy, a way for him to finally find peace once and for all. A way to ensure that Metro Man would never bother him, or anyone else, again.

Because what Wayne had done to Roxanne… it was the final insult. The gauntlet thrown to the earth in challenge, in defiance, and Megamind was not about to turn away this call to battle.

The pain was there as he hobbled to his desk, in his leg and his back and his chest, but it was nothing compared to the spite he was harboring that was threatening to boil over. Nobody would ever touch Roxanne again without her consent; Megamind was going to make sure of that. Not Metro Man, not that creepy cameraman she sometimes used to complain about during kidnappings—nobody, and especially not himself.

It struck him as odd, though, that she had insisted she was alright with—with touching him, and then had left in such a hurry. No, that wasn’t quite right; he knew, generally speaking, why Roxanne had left. But he wanted to know what specifically he had done wrong. He never wanted to do it again, whatever it was.

Maybe he would ask her when she returned. If she returned.

Oh, that was a horrible thought. What if she never came back, not even to say goodbye? The idea of it left him bordering on panic, but he forced himself to put it aside and focus on his idea.

His plan, the one which he had wanted to run yesterday, was still on his desk. It could theoretically still work out in his favor if he was very careful about it. Roxanne would have to be removed from the picture completely; in the original version of the plan she had been the bait with which he intended to trick Metro Man. But after yesterday’s fiasco, he never wanted her involved in any of his plans again, in the fear she would potentially get more than a scratch on her forehead.

So, what did Wayne want more than anything? More than he wanted Roxanne?

Megamind twirled a carpenter’s pencil between his fingers. They were undoubtedly alien, thin and durable and flushed purple at the knuckles. It made sense why human beings were repulsed by him. He didn’t blame them, and in fact, he was often repulsed by himself.

But as he looked down at his hands, it struck him exactly what Wayne wanted. What he would do anything to get to.

“That’s it,” he murmured to himself, beginning to chuckle like a madman. “That will work _perfectly_.”

Just as he began to make alterations to his plan, his bedroom door opened, and he turned around to see-

“Hey, sorry about that.” Roxanne brushed her hair behind her ear as she closed the door behind herself, gaze settled on the desk. “What are you doing up? You’re still injured.”

The relief he felt upon seeing her face was nothing short of immense. If she was still here, still willing to exist in his space, then at least she didn’t hate him. She seemed reluctant, though, as if there was something weighing on her.

It occurred to him after a few seconds that she had been talking to him; her eyebrow was raised in question, lips pursed.

“Yes, well, I heal quickly,” Megamind said, wanting to turn back to his work but finding he was captivated by Roxanne’s stare. “I feel—I feel great, plenty well enough to work for a while.”

She seemed to contemplate the thought of it.

“What’s so important that it can’t wait for a few days?” She began to walk towards him, and panic struck his chest. If she found out about his plan-

He covered it none-too-stealthily with a blank sheet of blueprint paper, and then glanced at her. The smile on his face, he was sure, looked forced at best. She didn’t seem convinced.

“It’s nothing,” he said, chuckling under his breath nervously. “Really. Just a little… idea, that I’ve been playing around with.”

Though she seemed skeptical, she didn’t push him on the subject. Instead, she made her way over to his bed and sat down; he was acutely aware of the way her gaze burned into his back as he sat at his desk, sketching mindlessly in fear of Roxanne catching a glimpse of his plan.

“So, Megamind.” He looked back at her, already beginning to brace himself for what he was certain she would say. She was going to tell him she had made a mistake, that she was actually repulsed by his touch and that she would prefer he never did it again.

He was sure Roxanne would tell him just how much she didn’t love him.

“About what just happened, uh… there’s something I’ve been meaning to say to you.”

And it was only as her velvet lips parted once more to speak that he was sure he would not be able to bear hearing her say it, even if he already knew it to be the truth. It would break him, and as much as he disliked himself, he was still a living being, and his first instinct was to ensure that Roxanne could not hurt him.

“Megamind, I think you—well, you probably figured it out already, but—“

“I know,” he interrupted, fists clenched up so tightly his knuckles had gone pale. “It’s alright. We don’t feel the same way about each other, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Roxanne flinched like he had slapped her, shock and hurt blossoming in her eyes. The truth hurt sometimes, and though Megamind regretted hurting Roxanne, it was for the best that she was aware of his feelings for her, and aware that he understood she did not feel the same. It had been a wonderful fantasy to believe things could have been different.

When Roxanne didn’t respond, seeming too stunned for words, Megamind spoke again.

“It’s alright if you don’t want to be around me anymore. I wouldn’t blame you.”

“No,” she said, voice quivering. “That’s not it. I still want to be around you, just… aren’t you worried it might be uncomfortable for you? I mean—“ Roxanne tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and he could see the way she shook, her gaze avoiding his, behaving much like magnets with the same charge. “This sort of… situation, tends to be… not good.”

And the truth was, he was a little worried. Friendships built on unrequited feelings were unstable and painful, and he was certain he would watch theirs collapse many times over again in the foreseeable future. But if Roxanne, despite not loving him, still liked him enough to allow him to be by her side, he would remain forever, until the end of time.

“As long as you’re alright with it.” Megamind paused, the little nagging voice in the back of his head refusing to let him be gentle. He had to say what he was thinking, even if it might upset her. “But, Roxanne, please… It’s hard enough as it is, with both of us feeling so differently for each other. I don’t want there to be any confusion as to our current friendship. Please, don’t--” oh, it was so hard to say. He wasn’t sure he would be able to get it out, but Roxanne’s expression collapsed a little, as though she was disappointed.

“Don’t worry,” she said quietly, looking down at her hands. “I won’t kiss you again, if it would make this harder for you. But--” she stopped herself, but she looked as though she’d just had an important thought.

“What is it?” Megamind asked.

“Well, it’s just--we don’t have to, but if you enjoyed--because, I know that I--” Roxanne paused, eyebrows furrowed with mild frustration. Her face had gone bright red, but Megamind couldn’t figure out why. “I enjoyed kissing you, and it seemed like… maybe you enjoyed it too, and if you did, and you want to do it again, I would let you. It doesn’t have to be more than that if you don’t want it to be.” Once she had forced out all her words, she covered her mouth with a hand, avoiding his gaze.

And really, that was an awful idea, because as much as he had loved kissing Roxanne, he could only associate that sort of contact with love. He knew human beings didn’t always do that, sometimes keen to physical contact without any particular feelings involved, and he knew that that must have been what Roxanne had been doing, but Megamind just didn’t work that way. He needed that emotional connection.

But the thought of being able to hold her like that again was so tempting, it left him dizzy. Perhaps he didn’t need her to love him back. It would be okay to just pretend, at least for the time being, because it was better than not having her at all. This twisted logic was enough to stifle any other voice of reason that was trying to make itself heard.

So he met her gaze and smiled a painful smile.

“I would like that.”

That was all that needed to be said. It wasn’t an ideal situation to be in, and Megamind was irritated with himself for having so little willpower when it came to Roxanne, but he couldn’t help feeling as giddy as he did. He turned back to his blueprints with a little smile playing at his lips, and began to work once more, a new fire lit inside his ribcage, only partly overcast by sadness.

The silence was immense, but somewhat comfortable as Megamind continued to work, and Roxanne continued to sit on his bed; every time he glanced back at her, he noticed the funny look on her face as she looked around his room. She didn’t look impressed, which Megamind supposed made sense. His space was bare, made for thinking rather than for entertainment. Physical objects tended to serve more as distractions than as helpful to him.

“You need a bigger desk,” Roxanne said. Apparently she had noticed the way his hand sometimes slipped off the edge of his desk while he wrote, which to be fair to himself was an easy fix.

“I have a desk in my workshop,” he said as he measured in centimeters the height of his plan, and converted it to the equivalent number of meters. “It’s a bigger surface, and I normally use it when I’m drafting blueprints for projects. This one is just easier to get to when I’m not feeling well--oh, that can’t be right.” Her response went in one ear and out the other, but he caught the last few words.

“...your workshop like?” He blinked.

“I’m sorry?”

“Your workshop. What’s it like?”

“Big, and messy. I really should clean up in there one of these--now, where did that number come from…?” Megamind tweaked his equation a little, certain he must have made a mistake, but the number that came out of it didn’t look right either. He’d forgotten why he’d been so frustrated with this damn plan in the first place. “It’s, um, across from the entrance to the living room. The brain bots sometimes sleep in there.”

“You know,” Roxanne started, “I don’t think I’ve seen more than one or two brain bots since I got here. Where are they right now? Are they okay?”

Megamind knew the answer to that.

“They’re angry with me,” Megamind said. “I’m sure they’ll get over it soon enough.”

“Why are they angry?”

Well, they were upset with him because he could have died, and didn’t call them for help, instead calling for Minion. They had taken it a little personally, even after he’d apologized. They were also pretty irritated with the fact that Megamind had allowed an untrustworthy person to not only come into the lair without their consent, but also allowed that person to know the location of their home. If word got out about where Megamind lived, there would be people much more bothersome than Metro Man showing up at his doorstep.

But he didn’t say any of that. It didn’t seem like the right time to talk about it, especially not with the way Roxanne had just started to take a liking to him.

“Neglect,” he said. “They’re upset by the amount of time I spend working.”

Roxanne looked skeptical, but didn’t ask any more difficult questions, which Megamind was grateful for. He knew it was hard for her, silencing the branching thoughts of her stunning, complex mind, but he wasn’t sure how many more questions he could answer before she asked one that was simply too painful.

She watched in silence as he continued to work out the logistics of his plan. It was like his conscience was sitting on his shoulder, scrutinizing his every movement and waiting for him to do something wrong. In a way Megamind was grateful for that, as weird as it sounded. The battle he was about to fight was a strange one; the fight between evil and wickedness, between Megamind and the monster Wayne had become. The thought of their roles being so drastically switched was almost funny, but then again, knowing that there was so much riding on his victory took the thrill out of it.

“So, Megamind,” Roxanne said. “This plan of yours… you’re not going to hurt Wayne, right? Because I know you don’t like him, but—“ she stopped herself, gaze falling from his, instead favoring his hands, which rested on the surface of his desk. “You’re better than him. I want you to remember that, because I know he’s done some really terrible things, but he doesn’t deserve to be hurt for it. I think he just needs help.”

“Maybe.” It was all he could bring himself to say, knowing very well that his plan could result in a casualty, and it would likely be his own.

“Promise you won’t hurt anyone.” Roxanne’s gaze was intense, burning a hole into the very core of Megamind’s being. “Please.”

And of course he couldn’t promise something like that, because it was unreasonable; there was no feasible way to keep such a promise in his line of work. Villainy often called for violence. It often longed for spilt blood. If Wayne acted first, Megamind knew he might have no choice but to fight back, even if he had been dead set on trying to be reasonable, which he wasn’t. But seeing Roxanne’s face, her gaze set on his with determination and hope, he couldn’t bring himself to disappoint her. Even if it was a lie, it was a beautiful one, which allowed for her to continue viewing him in a positive light.

“Yes,” Megamind said, finding that it was too difficult to meet Roxanne’s gaze. He favored the floor, which was plain and cold and much, much easier to look at than her face, with those eyes that were constantly picking him apart. “I promise.”


	9. Defense Mechanism

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note that the rating has changed, and is now mature. Half of this chapter is making out, and half of it angst. I didn’t proof-read very thoroughly, so I’m sorry for any typos! That being said, I hope you enjoy the chapter. :)

The first time Megamind got hurt badly was when he was six years old. He remembered the day vividly; it had been in the summer, and he had been running around in the yard, enclosed by barbed wire. A few of the younger prisoners, between the ages of twenty and thirty, were outside working out and talking. For being a prison, things were generally pretty laid back on a day to day basis. Megamind was allowed to play outside during a certain time frame every day, though Warden kept a close eye on him whenever he did. As a child he was careful, and almost never got hurt, but there was something about that day that was different. It could have been the clear sky, void of clouds. It could have been how invigorating the breeze felt that day. But whatever it was, it was a distraction to his young attention span, and he managed to trip.

Warden had run to him in a matter of seconds, but it wasn’t fast enough to prevent the deep scrapes that covered Megamind’s hands, forehead, and one of his knees. He had fallen hard enough to rip through the fabric of his pants at the knee, the orange fabric staining a dark gray at the edges. Megamind had cried, of course, as any child would, but Warden did not panic. If there was anything else the Warden should have done with his life, in Megamind’s opinion, it was be a father. He was a patient man until challenged or pushed too far, and had a soft spot for children, and even more of one for underdogs. Megamind had been no exception to that rule, and it had crossed his mind many times that the warden was the only father figure he ever had.

Warden had not been phased by the odd shade of the blood, nor the damage. He simply patched up the small alien child as best he could and sent him back out to play. To his surprise, Megamind’s injuries had healed by the end of the day, where a human child would have dealt with the wound for at least a week. It had been the first real indicator, other than his physical appearance, that there were differences between Megamind and humankind. Differences which would prove to haunt him for the rest of his life.

His wounds from his fight with Wayne had proved to be the same, as they always did. As much as Roxanne had been certain he couldn’t heal that fast, as she had insisted every time he tried to comfort her, within five days or so, all that remained of his encounter with the hero was a headache, a limp and a gruesome scar across his gut. Her shock had been sort of funny, but at the same time, sort of uncomfortable. His ability to heal so rapidly was one perk of his race, but looking at Roxanne, at the way her features seemed complimented by her surroundings, like she was made to be exactly where she was…

Well. He would give just about anything to look like that. He had his holo-watch, but it wasn’t the same as looking so effortlessly normal.

Roxanne seemed to like his body just fine, which he found to be abnormal and a little concerning. If it had been anyone but her, he would have chalked it up to mental insanity. But this was Roxanne, who time and time again destroyed his concepts on the nature of humanity by simply being herself. It had been five days since the first time she had kissed him on the lips, which Megamind had been certain was just an anomaly in the time-space continuum, until she proceeded to do it again, and again, and again. It started at first as brief pecks when all prying eyes had turned away, but over the course of time, as his body healed, so did her confidence. Affection, where it once had been next to nonexistent in his life, became commonplace within the safety and privacy of Megamind’s bedroom.

He enjoyed all contact with her. But if he had to choose, which he never would out loud, this contact was his favorite kind.

It was early in the afternoon, and the weight of Roxanne was on top of him, her lips pressed insistently against his. The cushion that her breasts created was pinned up against his body by her weight, which he couldn’t ignore, despite how hard he tried to. The way her lips worked him over drew low sounds from him, which she seemed to drink up. Those soft hands cupped his face like he was made of glass as she deepened the kiss, parting her lips and brushing her tongue over his bottom lip. Her hands then fell from his cheeks, instead trailing down his neck and finding a comfortable place to rest on his shoulders. Everywhere she touched felt like fire.

This had all started with a brief kiss between the two of them, shared at Megamind’s desk as he worked out the system of wires necessary to power his newest project. It had been so innocent, so brief, that Megamind didn’t even remember how it led to her on top of him on his bed, where he had just minutes prior been seated at his desk and entirely focused on his work. Not that he was complaining, of course.

Roxanne made a delighted noise against his lips when he grabbed her waist, holding her warm body securely against his own. He knew it was a bad idea to become used to her like this. Eventually she would leave him, because if she had no feelings for him, it made no sense for her to stay. All he would have left was a vague memory of her warmth. Every night without her, he would be forced to remember the tingle her fingertips left on his skin, and would be constantly berated with memories of incredible conversations between the two of them. It was inevitable that he would regret allowing her to touch him in this way, but the thought of it only made him hold on tighter.

“You’re pretty good at this,” she purred, her eyes gleaming in the lamp light as she pulled back enough to look at his face. “Sure you haven’t done it before?”

“Roxanne-!” Megamind felt his face get even hotter than it already had been. “Of course I haven’t, that’s- what a ridiculous-”

“Someone’s getting defensive.” That smirk on her face was nothing short of devilish. “And flustered. God, you are so purple-”

“Oh, please. I am not defensive!”

“Right. Of course.” Her tone made it clear that she didn’t believe him, but she was still smiling, and so was he. 

“And I am  _ not  _ purple.”

“Megamind, I am looking right at your face, and I can say for a fact that you are bright purple.”

“I am evil, Roxanne; I do not blush, and if you could kindly refrain from making such accusations-”

“Oh, you want me to stop?” One of her hands found a comfortable place behind his head, and the other slid down to grab at his hip. She was still smiling, but a little bit of the mischief had drained away, revealing something more genuine. “Why don’t you make me?”

It wasn’t fair. With such a seductive look on her face, how could he deny her?

Something had changed, Megamind realized, as she began to kiss him again. There was something much more tender behind the contact, as she kissed him long and hard. If he hadn’t known better, he might have even thought that there was a chance she felt something more for him than she admitted. She was always so nice to him, and spent so much of her time helping him during his recovery period, despite the fact that he had given her so many outs. Sometimes she would even bring back gifts for him after going to work for the day. They were always small things, but so much thought went into them that it was hard not to get flustered by the gestures. The first time it had been a couple of romance novels from the library’s discard pile. How she had known he liked the genre was a mystery; maybe she had perused the selection within his bookshelf at some point. The next had been a few gel pens with thick tips. At first he was confused, but then he realized she’d gotten them for his blueprints, which was incredibly sweet and considerate.

The most recent was a house plant. It was a beautiful, leafy vine which she had called ‘devil’s ivy’. At first he hadn’t understood why she was so specific about the type of plant, but when he later took the time to look it up, he realized that the plant was suitable for rooms that didn’t have any windows, and was durable enough to survive by his hand. All of her gifts were thoughtful and lifted his spirits immensely, which seemed to make her happy. Megamind didn’t understand what he had done to deserve such close attention from someone like Roxanne Ritchi. If he hadn’t already tried pinching himself- several times- he might have guessed he was dreaming.

As happy as he was, he didn’t understand why she kept coming back.

Roxanne’s lips on his neck jerked him back into reality as a broken gasp escaped his lips. He felt her begin to nibble on his flesh, a gentle, playful sort of biting, but it was enough to overwhelm him in mere seconds. His neck and shoulders were terribly sensitive, and it didn’t help that he had found himself in a particular mindset. All of his senses were heightened with an irresistible desire, which left him shaking and on the verge of losing his control. 

It honestly kind of scared him.

He couldn’t allow her to continue; the way she touched him was clearly leading to a place which Megamind was not ready for in the slightest, regardless of how much his body craved her touch.

As gently as possible, Megamind put a hand on her shoulder, and immediately she stopped, raising her head to look at him. Her expression made his heart melt a little behind his ribs.

“Are you okay?” She asked, reaching up to touch his face with careful fingers. “I’m sorry if that was too much.”

“Ah, it’s- I’m alright, no need to apologize. That was simply-” Megamind struggled for the right word. It was hard to do with her gazing at him so intently. “It was a lot for me. Perhaps… perhaps some other time?”

“Of course. Whatever you’re comfortable with.” She leaned down and placed a kiss on his cheek.

She was so good to him.

“I, um- I should probably go work.” He didn’t want to, but he feared things might continue heading in a more sexual direction if he didn’t end the contact soon. Not that Roxanne would ever force herself upon him, because he knew that she would never do something like that to him, but that was the problem. Perhaps if he had a different body he would have been more keen on continuing. “Sorry.”

“No need for that,” she said, offering a little smile, but it was clear she was disappointed. “Do you want help?”

And really, he needed to take a few moments to collect himself, just to ensure he wouldn’t do or say anything unwelcome, but-

“Yes, that would be great.”

Megamind led the way to his workshop, with Roxanne holding his elbow the entire way there. It made his heart stutter behind his ribs, though he was certain the gesture was nothing more than concern for his safety. His leg was still a little bit unreliable when walking longer distances.

The whole building was eerily quiet. Minion had gone out for groceries some time ago; after Roxanne had started spending more and more time at the lair, Minion had insisted upon buying food for her. Having her over for dinner every night since the accident had been more surreal for Megamind than kissing her. It felt so intimate, as though they were sharing more than just dinner. Imagining that sort of domestic life with someone as amazing as Roxanne was unrealistic, and yet he found himself indulging in the fantasy more than once.

His workshop, too, was empty and quiet. Normally the brainbots were playing in here, but they had been angry with him ever since he gave Roxanne the address to the lair. Megamind was beginning to worry that they would never forgive him.

“This is your workshop?” Roxanne asked, looking around the room with a funny look on her face.

It really wasn’t much. The room was large, but plain, with a long desk pushed against one wall, and plenty of room for various projects everywhere else. A standing toolbox was tucked away into the corner, but it might as well have not existed; tools were thrown haphazardly onto any available surface, and even on the floor, too. 

“I’m sorry for the mess,” he said, pulling his arm gently from her grip, and limping towards his main project. It was covered by a tarp, but when he pulled it away, it was not a grand reveal. Even Roxanne, the brightest person he knew, seemed confused by the scattered pieces of metal and loose wiring.

“What is it?” She asked, taking a cautious step forward, inspecting the mess. There was a critical glint in her steel blue eyes.

Megamind decided not to answer her question, instead turning to glance at some of his blueprints, which were resting on his desk. Normally when he was working on something like this, he would dress and act the part, with Minion by his side to offer moral support. Today, he was dressed in a plain navy button-up and slacks, with polka dot socks and no shoes. It felt weird not to be wearing his signature leather and spikes.

Roxanne had made her way over to him, which he did not notice until she placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her, hoping she wouldn’t push her previous question, but instead she flipped the collar of his shirt up and smiled.

It was enough to make him laugh, though it was more out of shock than anything. Sometimes he wondered how he had allowed himself to fall in love, but then she would do some small, meaningful thing that would make him crumble apart for her.

“Right,” Megamind said, turning to look at his half-assembled project. Despite the effort to refocus, he found he couldn’t stop smiling. “Okay. Let’s get started.”

Working with his hands didn’t provide the usual distraction. Even the incredible high Megamind got from Roxanne’s presence did nothing to numb the ache in his chest as it hit him exactly what he was going to do to Wayne. Sure, they had their differences, but to think that it had come to this…

This was perhaps the first thing Megamind had planned which was truly deplorable. He had certainly done bad things in his life, but creating a gigantic robot to attach his deadly sun-powered laser to, all for the sake of attempting to destroy someone who was once a friend, proved his capacity for evil.

But there was no reasoning with Wayne. If someone was going to have to teach him a lesson the hard way, Megamind didn’t mind taking that role. He was, after all, very good at playing the villain. What was one more battle?

Besides, it wouldn’t be deadly to Wayne. That wasn’t the issue, though it had the potential to hurt him. The problem was the volatile nature of an unfocused laser, designed to cause immense destruction in the desperate hope of slowing Metro Man down. Any citizen within a mile of the blast could easily be killed. All it would take was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He would do his best, of course, not to involve anyone else in the battle, but there was always a slim chance he would make a mistake. The thought made him feel ill, but he had no choice. A message had to be sent.

Metro City no longer belonged to Wayne, and Megamind was going to make sure the hero knew that. Otherwise, who knew what he would do? Left unchecked, Wayne had the potential to be an unstoppable force of destruction. Megamind could not let that happen.

“Hey.” Roxanne’s soft voice interrupted his spiraling thoughts. “You okay?”

“Yes,” he said automatically. “Of course.”

Roxanne studied his face in the same way she had studied his project, which was nearly assembled to a recognizable point. He knew that she had almost pieced it together.

“Megamind, this plan of yours-“ She cut herself off, eyebrows furrowing up as her gaze dropped from his. “I know you promised you wouldn’t hurt Wayne, but this plan of yours is starting to look pretty dangerous. Violence isn’t going to change him. You know that, right?”

There was nothing he could say to that. It was debatable whether or not she was right, but it was likely she was. Roxanne was a lot of things, but more than anything, she was intelligent. Arguing seemed pointless.

Because regardless of whether or not she was correct, Megamind was still going to try.

Her expression closed up a little at his silence.

“You promised, Megamind.”

His throat closed up, but he swallowed the guilt back. Now was not the time for crying. It was the time for getting this over with as quickly as possible.

“Hand me the wrench, please.” Roxanne placed it into his open palm with a resigned look on her face. The rest of the time Megamind spent working was filled with uncomfortable silence, which he hoped would at some point be broken.

It was not.


End file.
